


One Day at a Time

by WBAD_World



Series: One Day at a Time [1]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Childhood Friends, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Male-Female Friendship, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:13:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 69,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25498174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WBAD_World/pseuds/WBAD_World
Summary: It's two friends, and one problem with love. Why can't they see what others can? What's keeping C.C. from knowing the truth, and why is Lelouch hesitant to speak the very same? Still, there is nothing more precious than relishing a love that slowly blooms day after day. Going slow is the right choice... Well, almost...
Relationships: C.C./Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia & Kururugi Suzaku, Shirley Fenette/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia
Series: One Day at a Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899268
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	1. The Almighty 'Best Friends Forever' Rule

" _Why don't you have a boyfriend?"_

_A pretty pair of golden eyes peeked at him from the confines of her comfy cocoon of white bed sheets._

" _Probably the same reason why you haven't dated another girl since 10_ _th_ _grade." She snickered, shifting her attention towards the happy little game she played in his smartphone._

_He laughed bitterly at the sudden accusation she flung at his face. She was right. He wasn't one to deny that. The last girl he had dated had been a fiery redhead with her spicy attitude and spontaneous personality. If a relationship was anything like his previous experience, he wasn't excited for a repeat._

" _I have my reasons." He shrugged, sighing audibly as he reached across the nonexistent space between them and plucked his phone out of her hands._

_She frowned at him for snatching her plaything, but didn't really call him out for snagging it. "And I have mine."_

_There was a slight pause in the conversation where she carefully rearranged herself beneath his comfortable duvet, so her entire body was facing his._

" _You've known me for ten years." She yawned, moving her lower body lithely to tangle their legs together. "I'm not the relationship type. No guy can ever put up with me._ You _, on the other hand, have plenty of women crawling all over you; just_ dying _for anyone of them to go out with you just_ once _."_

_He watched the proud grin creep across her full lips in the dim light. She moved like a cat, graceful and ever so taunting as she planted both of her hands on either side of his head, hovering above him like a predator. But he was too used to her devious gestures and thought nothing of it as he met her steady gaze and voiced his protest._

" _Well, maybe I'm not that interested." He cocked an eyebrow as he stared up at her hovering face. "There's no law that says I_ have _to have a girlfriend. And have you ever considered the possibility that I'm not the relationship type as well?"_

_Her hold on him slackened for a bit as she shrugged. "I don't know. You're such a good friend, and you would make a good boyfriend for a girl."_

_It was his turn to smile impishly. A startled yelp bounced across the four corners of his neat room when he capsized her over to the unoccupied side of the bed. Her surprise melted away at the sight of those mischievous purple eyes, peering down at her with unrestrained glee._

_He only hummed in response; neither confirming nor denying her proclamation… But how could he dignify her statement with a proper answer when he was more preoccupied with other things?_

_Her soft sighs soon filled the room as his long and skilled fingers easily found the bundle of nerves tucked away between her slick and flushed folds. His other hand, skimming over her smooth abdomen, tracing over delicate skin, made her writhe alluringly beneath his sheets — a reaction he honestly relished in seeing._

" _You're no fair." She gasped in between soft pants, clenching her legs together beneath the sheets to try and relieve the lovely friction between her thighs._

" _Fair was never quite our style to begin with."_

_There was simply nothing more exhilarating than the sound and the sight of a beautiful woman caving traitorously beneath such sensual ministrations. And indeed, C.C._ was _quite the provoking vision when she was like this. But even so, they both knew how_ unconventional _this was — how deviant from the norm._

_But was it so wrong to say he couldn't help himself? Was it a sin if they both confessed they couldn't stop each other from indulging in taboo desires?_

_From the moment this arrangement began, they both knew how twisted it was — in a way. And yet, that didn't stop him from slipping his fingers inside her, relishing that warm and tight heat enveloping his prying appendages. Second thoughts held no sway over_ her _tonight as she wrapped her own hand around the hot column of flesh at his groin, pleasuring him just the way he wanted._

vVvVv

' _Hi. Can I call you…?'_

' _Can't sleep, can u?'_

A phone's shrill ringing broke the silence in her dark room. C.C. peeked out from beneath her blanket, and indeed, saw his name flashing bold and catchy across her screen. Squinting from the harsh LCD light, she answered his persistent call; all while idly wondering what could possibly be keeping Lelouch up at this _ungodly hour_.

"What's wrong?" She mumbled groggily, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she forced herself to sit up in bed.

Her digital bedside clock read 3:33 AM… Not a very good time to be awake.

"Why do you always assume something's wrong when I call at night?"

C.C. narrowed her eyes at her best friend's picture displayed proudly on screen.

"Lelouch, normal people don't bother their friends at three in the morning…"

Static met her ears across the line as he remained silent for a few seconds or so. She actually debated on whether or not hanging up was a good idea, but thought otherwise. He would just talk her ear off when they saw each other again, and she didn't feel like receiving a verbal beating — no matter how _friendly_ it was.

"Screw it. I'm coming over."

_He's coming ov— Wait,_ what _?!_

It wasn't like him to be so reckless with things like this, but _damn_. Whatever was tugging on his nerves was probably enough to warrant her attention after all. Instances like this were incredibly rare _enough_ , and she didn't get to see him unhinged all that often in their ten years of friendship. So, perhaps—

"No, pizza. No, entry."

She could hear him shuffling around on the other line…

"Wh— Where do you expect to get pizza at a time _like this?_ "

"I don't know. But _you_ certainly do since you're being a pain in the ass at this hour."

"You can't be serious." More shuffling and then the sound of his feet hurriedly tackling the carpeted stairs of his duplex. "Whatever happened to the best friends' rule to listen to each other even at the most inconvenient of times?"

"I've barred the doors and windows. And I'm only asking for a favor _in exchange_ for a favor."

His growl was menacing, but she wasn't bothered. "Ugh, alright alright. I'll find a place. I'll be there in ten." She could hear the chilly wind blowing in the background now. "Twenty if it takes me too long to find your stupid pizza."

C.C. only grinned, twirling a lock of hair around one finger, as she listened to him grumble and start the car engine; on his way to their impromptu sleepover party.


	2. The Boyfriend Problem

Lelouch parked his car in her familiar driveway. He shivered and tugged his jacket closer around him as the chilly late winter air nipped at his cheeks and bare fingers. Perhaps coming to C.C.'s house on such short notice wasn't a brilliant idea, after all. In her own way, she _had_ warned him.

But he was here and there was no turning back from this… Besides, how was he to sleep and get a moment's respite from his chaotic thoughts if he couldn't speak to her face to face at this very moment?

And good _god_ she _actually_ put up a sign on her front door just for him?

In all of ten years and a couple of months, he hadn't seen anything quite so ridiculous as a 'NO PIZZA NO ENTRY. I MEAN IT!'

He rapped hurriedly on the wood, eager to get out of the cold and wishing with all his might that she wouldn't make him suffer for his nonsensical decisions. To be fair, C.C. _was_ as spontaneous as him in the most inconvenient of times, so there was really no scale to tip here. It was all fair game.

The door cracked the tiniest bit open, revealing one golden eye narrowing at him menacingly.

"Intruders aren't welcome at the witching hour." She grumbled, spying his empty hands.

Lelouch sighed through his nose, resisting the shiver that crept down his spine. "Your damn pizza's coming in half an hour or so. Be grateful I found a store."

That one golden eye narrowed even further before disappearing behind the wooden barrier. Chains clinked and the door opened wide enough to let him in. Half-freezing to death, Lelouch shouldered his way through the threshold and wasted no time shedding his coats and slipping off his boots; while C.C. slammed the door behind him, effectively telling the cold to _get the fuck out_.

"What's your love problem, Romeo?" C.C. drawled lazily, curling up on her comfy couch with a steaming cup between her hands. She automatically offered him one when he plopped down next to her.

He thanked her for the warm drink and took a moment to gather his cluttered thoughts. "Shirley's pissed at me."

C.C. snorted, hiding her smile behind the rim of her cup. "That's a first. What did you do?"

Lelouch frowned, bringing his leg up on the couch. "Doesn't matter. I need your help finding an apology gift."

One of her pretty brows disappeared even further into her bangs as she scrutinized him closely — like one would do to a fine specimen trapped in a neat jar.

"I don't see why I should when you won't even tell me the complete story."

He groaned, placing the ceramic cup back on the coffee table. "I'm not in the best of moods to recount events."

C.C. rolled her eyes. "Then maybe you can leave your credit card here and head on over to your other buddy, Suzaku. I'm sure he's _much_ more active at four in the morning."

"Can't you give me a pass just this once?"

C.C. took a long sip from her hot drink, inhaling the aroma of the cocoa assaulting her nostrils while discreetly gauging her best friend's face over the rim. He was gaunt and paler than usual. That was probably from the cold outside, but there was no hiding the slightly dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Fine. But you realize that you owe me."

He waved a hand at her dismissively, resting the back of his head against the back of the couch. "Yes, yes. Plenty of debts to pay."

Her slow and devious smile quietly unraveled as she watched his profile lounge so casually and comfortably on her couch. "Careful, vi Britannia. You don't want loan sharks busting down your doors."

Lelouch rolled his eyes at her, taking _none_ of her teasing. " _Please_. With the times I saved _your_ sorry ass, we're pretty much even."

Well, she'd be lying if she said that wasn't true. C.C. couldn't count the number of times the two of them had rescued each other from troublesome situations. From things as seemingly insignificant as making excuses for skipping class in middle school to much more serious matters involving personal relationships and financial concerns. There was a long pause in the conversation as she ruminated, and assumed that the young man across from her was probably stewing in his troubles with his girlfriend.

"Give me the gist of the fight, and how miserable you made her."

The sound of her voice snapped Lelouch out of his reverie, instantly reminding him why he was here and _why_ he needed her help…

For the record, he _did_ hate himself for letting something as important as an anniversary slip past his thought calendar. To be fair, he _was_ never one for forgetting important events. So he _could_ understand why Shirley had been mad at him yesterday. But he had his own reasons for falling prey to forgetfulness. University life wasn't a joke, and he had been working double-time to finish workload that would get in the way of his relationship with his girlfriend.

So yes, salvaging their one-day late anniversary celebration was probably a bit of a stretch. But it was all he had. Lelouch _hated_ being around upset women. All the whining and grumbling. _That_ and he couldn't stand it when significant people were mad at him — especially C.C. (but he would never tell her _that_ ).

"I would clap my hands sarcastically, but I'll spare you the pain. You know, if you aren't careful with Shirley, your lovey-dovey relationship is going to strain even further than you thought." C.C. pointed out. "Anniversaries are a big deal, you know."

"Don't remind me. I got an earful from her earlier last night." Lelouch mumbled grouchily, recalling Shirley's upset words.

His best friend sighed and nonchalantly stirred the hot cocoa, the marshmallows inside bobbing merrily — oblivious to the conversation.

"I don't see why you're over thinking this. Girls will pretty much forgive you for something as simple as a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Or a nice dinner. You can even get away with buying her anything."

Somehow the thought of setting up a simple date with flowers and a romantic setting didn't sit right with him. It didn't really feel like fair compensation for a 'boyfriend crime' like this, but still…

"If it were you, would you appreciate something like that?" He asked sheepishly.

"If she were me, you'd be in worse shape than the result of sleep deprivation because you forgot our anniversary. Groveling on your face, kissing the ground, and begging for my forgiveness is not even _half_ of compensation."

Lelouch tried to suppress his smile as C.C. drank from her cup again.

"Harsh. I'd be better off hiding from you for the rest of my life."

Her expression morphed from stoic to downright mischievous. "And that's why I'm your best friend, and not your unfortunate girlfriend."

"Thank god."

"Still, I won't complain if she doesn't forgive you so easily. Someone has to knock you off of your comfy carriage once in a while."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "That's what you're for, aren't you? And doesn't the saying go as, 'knock you off of your high horse?'"

"You're too prissy for a horse. That coveted ass—"

"C.C., wha—"

"—needs velvety cushions or it'll bruise."

Lelouch scowled at her, trying to hide the fact that he was rubbing his bottom's sore spot after she poked it with her toe and her _damn nails_. "I don't know if I'm more confused or offended."

No, he didn't like the way she referred to his buttocks so crassly either.

She nonchalantly waved a hand at him, dismissing his childish whining as she finished her cup of hot cocoa. "Be both for all I care." The cup clanked loudly against the glass coffee table when she set it down that he winced. "What's taking the pizza so long?"

"I lied." Was the noncommittal answer.

"What?"

Lelouch ignored her deadpan tone, and finished his own drink. Yes, he lied about the pizza, but in his defense, he wouldn't have _had to_ if she hadn't _demanded_ for one at three in the damned morning.

"There is no pizza." If looks could kill, his head would have probably been rolling on the floor right about now. "C.C. What pizzeria would be open at _three_ in the _fucking_ morning?"

"A 7-Eleven?"

"You _hate_ convenience store pizza. You once threatened me with disembowelment when I suggested it." His accusation bounced off of her reaction as she gasped, feigning mortification at such a _heinous_ act.

"You didn't actually believe I'd follow through with murder, right?" She put a hand to her heart dramatically. "I would _never_."

His protests simmered down to unrepentant grumbling — which wasn't very suitable for his type of face. "No, but I figured you'd come up with more creative and embarrassing ways to torment me."

"I'll only kill you if I can get away with it." She huffed impatiently, clutching one of the throw pillows so close to her, it would have choked if it could breathe. "I hate you right now."

"Are you pouting?" Lelouch squinted at her; taking note of the slightest jut in her bottom lip. The same lip he had bitten so many countless times in the past.

"No!"

"You are!"

Oh, for all the insufferable _nerve!_ C.C. glared at him, having half a mind to kick him out of the couch and declare that she _wouldn't_ be helping him on his _stupid_ problem anymore. He could weather Shirley's whining and the distressed _bawling_ for all she cared. And hopefully, the _arrogant boy_ would lose his mind.

She was about to tell him so — make her thoughts _very_ clear. But she stopped when she spied the light in his eyes change into something startlingly familiar and undeniably hair-rising.

"What if I make it up to you another way?" The bold statement was coupled with a few inches of movement, shifting closer to her than before. His voice had dropped into a familiar baritone octave that made her spine tingle and her toes curl.

But that heady spell was broken when Lelouch stumbled back with a face full of pillows. He was just short of dying from being smothered when C.C. stopped and jabbed at his forearm angrily — trying to hide her own blushing face from his sight.

"You can't give me oral when you have a girlfriend you pervert!"

Lelouch's face was _aghast_ , truly _mortified_ at her suggestion. "For shame, C.C. That wasn't what I meant at all!" He was still feigning his horror as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm from her jab. "Why would you assume such a thing?"

Cursing herself for falling into his rather obvious baiting, and the fact that the heat in her face still wasn't leaving, she snarled. "Fuck you and your innuendos."

"No, we really didn't get that far before, did we?"

 _God_ , what was _wrong_ with him today? He usually wasn't so… So…

The tables have turned. Wasn't _he_ supposed to be the blundering mess between the two of them?

He was grinning at her flushed face, and she was resisting the urge to pummel him until that pretty face was black and blue from her abuse. She appreciated and cared about her best friend, she _really_ did. But it was in moments like these that C.C. regretted ever making his acquaintance ten long years ago.

"Oh my god! Just _shut up_! For the love of—"

She didn't get to finish when laughter filled the room. That boyish genuine laugh spilling from a young man doubled over on her couch, clutching his side as he gave into his unrestrained glee. A smile any wider than the one he currently had, and she was sure his face would split in half.

"I'm sorry; I'm sorry." He sputtered between dying chuckles. "Sorry, C.C. It was just too good."

 _Damn it_! She was _still_ red! "Suck a dick!"

He snorted. "Not really into men, but if I jump the fence, you'll be the first to know."

 _That's it_!

A pained yelp cut through his snickering as his light body tumbled off of the couch and into her furry rug.

"You're an insufferable bastard." Her voice was pretty much normal now, thank the heavens.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Lelouch grunted from his spot on the floor. Checking his wristwatch, he gingerly climbed back into the comfy couch, this time situating himself right next to his best friend. "We should sleep if we're going gift shopping tomorrow."

"Get out of my house, you liar!"

He barely had enough time to react when another pillow flew at him. He caught it this time and put it aside to see his favorite girl curled up in a cocoon against the back of the couch. It looked like her new mission in life was to ignore him steadfastly.

He smiled affectionately, and crawled over towards her. Despite her resistance, he managed to wedge himself between her and the back of the couch. He grunted when a hard fist collided with his gut, but he didn't budge; only lifting the flap of the blanket just the tiniest bit to peek at the annoyed face hiding underneath.

"I really am sorry for lying to you, C.C. We'll have pizza for breakfast and lunch and dinner tomorrow, okay?" He gave her an honest and beseeching smile; one she saw through and acknowledged with innocently blinking eyes.

"You promise?"

"Humiliate me in class if I break it."

"You realize I'll hold you to that."

"I know you will."

C.C. nodded once and returned to the confines of her lovely cocoon. Lelouch wasn't moving from his current spot, but she didn't mind. Technically it wasn't the first time they slept next to each other with barely an inch of space. The living room was encroached with silence until only the crackling of the fire and the wind blowing outside could be heard.

Lelouch's breathing had evened out so significantly that she was convinced he was asleep. So, when he spoke quietly, some part of her jolted at the surprise.

"Um… Thanks a lot for hearing me out, Witch."

C.C., with her eyes closed underneath her cocoon managed a soft smile.

"Don't mention it, you prick."

vVvVv

_Nine years… That was how long they had been friends, hadn't they?_

_But never in a million years had he_ anticipated _something like this._

_In Suzaku's house. In the middle of a dizzying college party. In Suzaku's parents' bedroom. Mostly dark with the muffled sound of the pounding bass resonating against the wooden door._

_Blearily, Lelouch tried to focus on the silhouette of the leaves outside the window. He tried to think of his Calculus homework; tried to picture their wrinkly and grumpy University librarian stalking through the maze of bookshelves. He tried to imagine his mother's embarrassing face as she sang karaoke during that one Christmas Eve._

_But it was all futile… All his efforts failed to distract him from the glorious vixen on her knees before him, palming the erection straining against his boxers. As if his hand had a mind of their own, he tangled his fingers in her lovely green hair as she tugged his boxers down. With nothing to subdue the evidence of his arousal, his cock sprang free and he hissed when the heat of his exposed flesh met the chilly room._

_A hand lazily drifted up his half-bare chest, stopping at the base of his neck where her gentle fingers caressed the ends of his raven hair. He coaxed her up effortlessly and gifted her with a heavy kiss. Her devious tongue smoothed against his, tangling the muscles together as puffs of air left their slightly open mouths._

_She groaned deeply into his mouth when his wandering fingers found her soaked folds. Impatiently tugging her panties aside, he slipped his middle finger in. One, and then two; relishing how she squeezed his appendages inside her hot pussy._

_He made to add a third finger, just to see how good and wide he could stretch her, but her hand on his prying wrist stopped him. He looked at her questioningly, eyes clouded with the influence of alcohol and…something else. She was very much the same, and although they would_ probably _think twice about this in the morning, the two of them didn't really give a damn at the moment._

_She indulged his offer when he touched her lips with his soaked fingers. He bit his lip as he watched her taking them into her mouth, tongue gliding smoothly across the pads of his fingers as she tasted herself._

_It took him a couple of seconds to figure out that her mouth wasn't wrapped around his hand anymore. He looked down to find her kneeling before him, those soft and delicate lips just inches away from the tip of his weeping head._

_Moan after moan clawed a way out of his throat as that lovely tongue prodded his bulging head until clear beads of precum began seeping through the slit. There was her soft kiss on the tip — a warning of what was to come. And_ boy _did he moan loudly when every single inch of him — from tip to thick base — slid smoothly into her talented mouth._

 _And as she indulged in her pleasure and he in his, both of them subconsciously knew they couldn't return to being_ just _friends. There was definitely something else… Something that broke a boundary tonight. And even if Lelouch didn't know where this was going, he let it slide._

_He should have protested on account of their friendship, but he didn't…_

_Because he knew he wanted it. And he knew she did too…_


	3. A Different Kind of Closeness

" _So I heard you're going with Shirley to the Winter Fest Dance." Was Suzaku's nonchalant comment as he continued digging through the bowl of popcorn._

_He was actually trying to avoid a violent reaction from the man sitting beside him, so he preferred not looking. But when it took Lelouch longer than three seconds to give him that reprieve, the brunet discreetly glanced at his friend. But he did it just as the raven-haired male finished texting whoever it was to acknowledge him._

" _Yeah." Lelouch shrugged. "What of it?"_

" _But what about C.C.?"_

 _Lelouch shifted his attention towards the television and its display of police versus criminal action. "Suzaku, can you count_ all _the dances I've gone to with her as a 'date?'"_

"Exactly! _" Suzaku waved his arms in the air like a manic chicken. He was too busy trying to make a point to notice that he actually looked quite mad gesticulating_ this _wildly. "You two have gone on grand events like this_ all the time _. It's practically_ tradition! _"_

_Lelouch frowned. "Tradition is C.C. sneaking into my apartment to raid my fridge and steal my bed."_

" _Your apart— Wait, C.C._ does _that?!"_

" _Yes. One of the many awful things she does to disorganize my life…"_

 _If C.C. already_ did _stuff like that, then maybe he had underestimated their level of closeness. Suzaku had met a lot of young men and women who were best friends before, and based on his own observations, they didn't do a_ lot _of stuff that these two did._

_C.C. was practically Lelouch's shadow and vice versa. They went to and fro University together. They never ate lunch alone — unless there were important appointments going on, and one of them had to. C.C. always dragged Lelouch with her for girly things like clothes shopping, and even if the latter complained, he was still willing to wait outside a dressing room as C.C. changed clothes and asked for his opinions — which he would unfailingly give. Suzaku also recalled visiting C.C.'s apartment once or twice, and discovered that Lelouch had his own dresser in her living space. Similarly, Suzaku also found articles of C.C.'s clothing in Lelouch's house; a stray jacket hanging on a dining chair, a school shirt draped over the back of the otherwise pristine couch, her high-heeled shoes on his shoe rack, womanly cosmetics in Lelouch's bathroom — obviously C.C.'s, some of her stuff in his car etc._

For crying out loud _, the woman had food in Lelouch's fridge with her name on it! And when he asked Lelouch about_ that _, the other man explained that he rarely bought junk food that C.C. loved, so she bought them herself, stuck them in his fridge, and wrote her name on it; so she could have something to eat whenever she visited._

 _And now_ this _revelation…_

_So apparently, C.C. had the keys to his apartment too…_

" _You have your own key to her place, don't you?" Suzaku asked with a raised eyebrow._

_Lelouch just shrugged. "I do, but I hardly use it."_

_Riiiiggghhht…_ Hardly. _Like Suzaku would be willing to believe that any time soon._

 _All this talk about C.C. led the brunet to thinking about things he thought he got over_ years _ago. He thought they had gotten together secretly, just like the others assumed, but that had been debunked when Lelouch began dating Shirley. But Suzaku didn't understand_ why _Lelouch would do it in the first place, and_ why _C.C. would let him, when it was_ so glaringly obvious _that the two best friends were head over heels for each other._

_They acted like a couple, damn it!_

" _She and I would have moved in together to save on money and stuff, but C.C. doesn't want to do it anymore because it would apparently hurt Shirley's feelings." Lelouch commented nonchalantly, sipping from his can of soda._

 _Suzaku blinked once — twice — at Lelouch's words. Honestly, the only thing missing was a proper label on their relationship. The best friends label was bullshit at this point — not when he and C.C. were obviously burying their feelings for each other unknowingly._ Honestly _, Lelouch and C.C. were two of the smartest people he knew, but they couldn't figure something like_ this _out._

 _How?! Just_ how _?!_

_Suzaku sighed exasperatedly, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "She really likes you, you know."_

" _I know. That's why we're dating."_

" _Not Shirley. I mean C.C."_

_Suzaku didn't miss the frown that marred Lelouch's smooth face._

" _Why are you so fixated on me and her getting together, when we're obviously not like that?"_

_He only sighed, truly sorry about their situation, and at their line of thinking. "It's just—"_

_The sound of a knob turning suspiciously slowly jarred him and Lelouch out of the conversation. The latter promptly put the TV on mute, so they could hear whatever was going on in the small foyer. Suzaku was rising from the couch and so was Lelouch, both doing it with the intention to grab a weapon of sorts, when C.C.'s lovely features suddenly popped in through the living room arch._

_She saw their surprised faces and gave them that feral grin of hers. "You two are so jumpy."_

_Suzaku didn't even get to say anything because Lelouch just exploded. "Witch, how many times do I have to tell you to at least call out for me whenever you come over?!"_

" _Why should I? So you can relish in me calling out your name? That's a little perverted even for you."_

" _Perver—_ Why would you even think that?! _It's for safety reasons!"_

" _Safety is you not giving anyone a key to your apartment."_

" _You_ bullied _me into getting that for you. Like you_ always _do!"_

_And just like that, the rest of the world faded into a droning background. Even Suzaku's presence couldn't stop them from their little argument, or forgetting him momentarily as their fighting drifted away from the living room, across the hall, and into Lelouch's kitchen. They weren't even arguing about C.C. coming here unannounced anymore. For some reason, they were bickering about the food in the fridge now… Like a married couple._

_Suzaku didn't understand them. Not one bit._

_Others could see that they were meant to be together. Why couldn't_ they _?_

vVvVv

Lelouch tailed C.C. as she visited shop after shop, pointing at things he needed to get before she went along her merry way. He narrowly missed her take a sharp left to enter a jewelry store because he was glancing at his phone to see no missed calls from Shirley, or texts. He only sighed, figuring he shouldn't expect any sort of contact initiation from her after the barrage he had failed to acknowledge last night.

The jewelry store was bright with white lights, and he would go so far as to say the illumination was quite harsh. Nevertheless, he spotted his best friend's noticeable green hair as she looked at herself in the mirror. A store attendant smiled at his approach and demurely excused herself while C.C. kept mooning over the lovely necklace.

"You're not much for jewelry." He commented, watching her struggle with the clasp. Without a second thought, he reached over and secured it for her, their fingers brushing ever so briefly.

"No, but I _do_ appreciate the finer things in life. This necklace just happens to be one of them."

Lelouch eyed the glittering topaz flanked by two onyxes. A closer look at the stones resting against her collarbone revealed that it wasn't just a measly knock-off. It was the real thing, and it glittered beautifully against C.C.'s skin, complementing the light shifting restlessly in her golden eyes.

"It _does_ suit you, if I say so myself."

He didn't notice C.C.'s glance, and she turned away from the mirror to approach a tall glass box that held lovely sets of earrings cushioned in different colors of velvet. Noticing a lovely jade set, she pointed at it before resuming her set routine, which consisted of leaving a store after getting what they needed.

Lelouch watched her retreating back curiously as she took off the necklace and mumbled a few words to the shop attendant.

"Um, why _this_ color? Shirley's not really a big fan of green."

He could be _so_ clueless sometimes. C.C. rolled her eyes and stomped back over to him. "They match _her eyes_ , Lelouch. It's almost the same shade of green."

Lelouch cleared his throat. "Oh, y-yeah. I knew that."

C.C. _did_ exit the store this time, which meant he'd have to find her when he was done here. But as he was following the attendant to the counter to purchase the earrings, he couldn't help looking over his shoulder and towards the general direction of that pretty golden necklace and its lovely gems. He thought C.C. had purchased it, but obviously she didn't. And it wasn't as if it was the first time he got her a gift. Giving her one for just the heck of it wasn't abnormal… or so he'd like to think.

"Sir? I just need your signature right here." The lovely girl behind the counter gave him a welcoming smile as she slid the receipt over to him.

"How much did you say that necklace was? The one my friend handed back."

The welcoming smile morphed into something understanding as the girl nodded and asked one of her colleagues to fetch the necklace the lovely lady had been trying on earlier.

vVvVv

C.C. munched happily on her pizza, relishing the gooey cheese that melted in her mouth and came off in strings from the greasy Italian pie. Her blissful face made a wonderful contrast with Lelouch's displeased expression. He stared sadly at the slice of pizza in his hand. Because unlike C.C., one pan in one day was enough. But _clearly_ that wasn't the case with this pizza-loving Witch.

Unfortunately for Lelouch, this was the price he had to pay for involving his best friend in his relationship problems. Honestly, what was he thinking when he had promised her pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

"This is what you owe me for helping you, and so I forgive you for _lying_ to me." C.C. mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

Lelouch frowned. Apparently, he had spoken aloud, and C.C. notified him with an answer. She kept eating though, gobbling one slice after another with no breaks in-between. He shook his head as he reached for a napkin on his side of the table.

"Yeah, I figured." He chuckled at her crossed eyes while he reached across and wiped the small bit of pizza sauce from her lips. "I guess it's a good thing that I owe you, then. Because otherwise, getting you this would have been pointless."

"Hm?" C.C. raised her eyebrows at his curious remark, all while picking off stray strings of cheese from the first pan.

He wrinkled his nose at her unbecoming actions, but ignored it as he reached into one of the five shopping bags that they had at their feet. "For you."

C.C. stared at him blankly and before scrutinizing the long blue velvet box sitting at the table next to their plates. Why did she have an inkling about what this was?

Narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously, she regarded the box with curiosity again. "Did you do something else wrong?"

She reached for the box after finishing off a crust, but yelped in surprise when a hand grabbed her wrist and began wiping the grease from her fingers.

"At least _wipe your hands first_." Lelouch growled, spraying hand sanitizer on her open palm.

So concentrated was he on the task that he completely missed the teasing smirk on C.C.'s face. She wouldn't admit it to him, but she thought it was sweet that he cared if she got her new gift dirty or not. Still, Lelouch's cleaning OCD was a bit of an annoyance today. After finishing the tedious task, she opened Lelouch's newest gift, and wasn't surprised to find the lovely golden necklace she had seen in the last shop they went to before lunch.

Lelouch had always been the type to get her gifts on a whim. From something as simple as a hand-made abstract watercolor paint when they were ten to gifts like jewelry when he was in the mood to splurge. Not to say she didn't appreciate each and everyone, but she always wondered why he did it — what drove him to get her random gifts whenever he felt like it. He fed her excuses on the whys, of course, but she wasn't buying it.

Still, a gift was a gift. And she would be lying if she said the necklace was awful. She had _literally_ been mooning over it when they were looking for Shirley's anniversary gift.

"Thank you, Lelouch."

Lelouch let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she gave him his favorite smile. Still lost in her rare expression of heartwarming gratitude, her catty grin, and her face nestled cutely in the palm of her hand, his brain failed to register her next words.

"Lelouch." She snapped. "What's that look on _your_ face for?"

He blinked. "Don't mind me."

"Dreaming of me, are we?" She teased, winking at him cheekily before blowing him a kiss. Something a curious group of girls noticed as they passed by, and giggled at their antics. They kept walking away, only leaving leftover strings of 'They're a cute couple,' and 'Oh my god, they're adorable,' in their wake.

Lelouch frowned, snorted, and swiftly pegged a small french fry at C.C.'s amused face. "See this is why I want to _avoid_ feeding you and your stupid antics."

C.C. rolled her eyes after brushing off bits of herbs from her forearm where the french fry had hit. "But you do it anyway. You can't blame _me_ when you're _so easy_."

"What were you asking me?" He asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Oh-ho, so you _weren't_ paying attention after all." She snickered, taking the forgotten slice of pizza from his plate.

"Just—" Lelouch groaned, rubbing his temples.

"I was asking what your official plan was on your, 'I'm sorry,' date with Shirley." C.C. mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

Lelouch didn't answer, and she watched him tap his fingers against the tabletop for a good seven seconds before she decided to pipe up with her suggestions. It was obvious that Lelouch was scatter-brained today. And although it was so out of character for him, C.C. figured it was a bit reasonable — considering, he _was_ in deep shit with his girlfriend.

She sighed deeply. "Do I have to think of _everything_? Call one of her friends. I know she has a lot, but you should know at least _one_ of them."

"I know Milly." Lelouch mumbled, scrolling through his phone to find Milly Ashford's name.

"Alright. Call her later. Let me finish." C.C. snapped, snatching the smartphone from his lenient grasp. "You will call Milly, so we can arrange a surprise dinner for you and your girlfriend. Just so you and your sorry ass doesn't get owned _again_. And since this is impromptu, we don't have time to schedule your usual theatrics—"

"I'm not _that_ dramatic." He mumbled grumpily, picking at the parsley on his plate.

" _Yes_ , you _are_." C.C. nodded, emphasizing her point. "Now, we need to pick a venue. Your apartment's out of the question, because that won't be romantic enough. So it's either her house or a nice restaurant we need to visit after _this_."

"Her house would be ideal, I think."

C.C. nodded once in confirmation. "Okay. Great idea. God knows how much Shirley _adores_ your cooking. This means we're going grocery shopping for your gourmet ingredients. After you get Milly's help in keeping Shirley away while you set everything up, we'll high tail to her house and get this plan in action."

"How are you so sure this would work?" Lelouch cocked a curious eyebrow as C.C. finished off the last of their lunch pizza.

C.C. shrugged, indifferent. "I'm not." And when he was about to protest, she held up a hand to stop him. "Girls are unpredictable and complex. You know _that_. This might work or it wouldn't. But I _will_ say that it has a high probability of success, because Shirley is head over heels in love with you, and she can't help it when you go mushy on her."

"I don't know."

"How are you _this_ clueless in matters of the heart?"

"I told you before. I may not be the relationship type."

C.C. rolled her eyes at such a flimsy excuse. " _Please_. The opposite sex _fawns_ over you. You're not intolerable like me — no matter how much you wish to be."

" _I_ can tolerate _you_."

C.C. stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "That's different. But if all else fails, you can always just give her the sex."

The nonchalant comment made the hairs on the back of Lelouch's neck rise. Her suggestion made him stiff with tension, because as weird as it was, he hadn't gone _that_ far with Shirley before. Even after a year of dating.

To be fair, Shirley _did_ express not being ready for _that_ , and Lelouch agreed because he wasn't ready for that kind of intimacy too. But even _he_ knew that was a flimsy excuse; because he and C.C. had _practically_ been friends-with-benefits for approximately a couple of months before he began seeing his girlfriend. Granted, he and his Witch hadn't done intercourse, but they had done plenty of kissing, and… oral sex in those months. They didn't do it anymore, of course, because Lelouch was in a relationship. But a part of him couldn't help but bring up the moments of unbridled lust when he and C.C. had done dirty deeds before whenever conversations like this came up.

So, when Lelouch's ears began to burn, he only prayed C.C. wouldn't notice. But, _of course_ , she did. She was C.C., after all. And his flushing told her _all_ she needed to know.

"You haven't _been_ with her before?" C.C. asked with wide eyes.

"Can we not talk about this?" Lelouch mumbled in return, avoiding her probing eyes.

C.C. failed to answer, because her cheeks slowly began to turn pink too. She didn't know what he was thinking about, but after they had both _crossed_ a boundary before, she felt like she had an idea. It certainly said a lot that Lelouch hadn't done it with Shirley at all, when he had other parts of his body inside _C.C._ on a few occasions in the past.

Lelouch cleared his throat. "Anyway, I trust you enough, and have high hopes for this date. Again, I can't thank you enough for doing these things for me, C.C."

She finally turned to look at him, then and smiled. "Stop it. It's what friends do."

He nodded in agreement, standing from his seat and taking the jewelry box he had given her today. "That's true."

Gingerly, he released the lovely necklace from the confines of its velvety casing. Seeing that, C.C. brushed her long hair off to the side as she felt Lelouch's gentle hands clasp the necklace around her neck. She watched the gems settle perfectly against her collarbone, and turned around to say something only to be stopped short with a smile she had never seen before.

She couldn't put accurate describing words to it. But it was the sort of smile you gave to someone who was special — like his sister, his girlfriend, his mother. It was a smile that communicated so much, and yet so little. And the words he spoke next only cemented the truth of that smile.

"It really is bewitching on you, Cera."

With a faint blush emerging on her cheeks, C.C. did her best to save a tiny bit of her composure as she lifted her chin a little higher. She stood up and grabbed two of the shopping bags they had before storming away past him.

"Let's kick your salvage operation into action, Warlock. No more dallying."

Again, Lelouch found himself grinning stupidly at her retreating back. She can be so amusing and incredibly endearing sometimes, annoying Witch or no. But she was right. They had things to do, and he had an anniversary to salvage.

He could only hope Shirley wouldn't scream her head off at him after this ordeal…


	4. Nobody Understands

Junior High, Prom Night…

_Seven years was a long stretch of time, and once in a while, he found himself thinking what his life would have been like if she hadn't walked into it…_

_Strange as it was, he_ couldn't _imagine that life without her. In fact, he didn't want it._

 _Because as annoying as C.C. could be in the most inopportune of times, he would be lying if he said he didn't treasure her friendship. He was_ very _close friends with Suzaku, but even_ he _couldn't always understand his train of thought as intimately as C.C. could. What his best friend had managed to accomplish was actually an incredible feat — not that he would tell her that any time soon. Few could match his way of thinking, and even C.C. had pointed it out before._

 _Suzaku may be his dear Watson, but C.C. was the Irene Adler to his Sherlock Holmes… And it strangely comforted Lelouch that there was at_ least _one soul in the world who fully comprehended his views on things — even if they_ did _disagree on things._

_So, throughout these seven years, Lelouch was grateful for C.C.'s existence. He was grateful to have met her, had frustrations with her, felt infuriated because of her, had been angry at her when she kept using his debit card for pizza, known her, shared secrets with her, laughed and cried with her, confided in her for relationship advice, and so much more… Of course, dancing with her during prom was just another item on the list._

" _Lelouch, I swear if your girlfriend assaults me and ruins_ this _dress, you're paying me back_ quadruple. _" Her threats ran stark and true, eyes glimmering in the dark despite the moon's insistence to play hide-and-seek with the clouds._

_She was right, and he would have been concerned, but he was tired of Kallen's constant nagging at this point. They had had a slight quarrel a few minutes after they arrived at the prom venue, and his girlfriend had left him to find her friends. So that left Lelouch with none to turn to, but the ever faithful C.C._

" _But that's why we're out here, and not in there." He shot back, gesturing with his chin towards the transparent set of double doors that led to the_ actual _party venue._

" _She's going to look for you, you know."_

 _He only chuckled at her deduction. "So until then, let me have this_ proper _dance. Swaying doesn't constitute as dancing."_

" _It is so for everyone else." C.C. rolled her eyes, hands clasped across his shoulders. "You're the only one prissy enough to bother with an actual waltz."_

 _After a few more protests, C.C. fell silent when she and Lelouch began to dance. Around and around, they twirled around the quiet fountain with its shimmering tranquil waters and festering algae. The pounding bass and the noise of the rowdy prom goers faded into a humming background as the world slowly shrank — until it was just big enough to accommodate_ them _. A young boy and girl locked in a fairytale dance that even the most beautiful of princesses would envy._

_Because even if they both knew they would always be best friends, neither of them couldn't resist pretending that they were a different sort of couple tonight — as if he was hers and she was his; a mutual subconscious desire of theirs. It was a desire so strong that when her spinning finally came to a stop, so did Lelouch's careful leading._

_In the cradle of his arms, she stared into the eyes of a boy who knew her darkest stories and didn't judge her for them. She gazed into deep swirling irises of purple, and didn't tear her eyes away from his even when he closed the distance between their faces to press their foreheads together…_

vVvVv

The afternoon of careful planning and executing the perfect apology date culminated in a very surprised, slightly miffed, and a suddenly giddy and shy Shirley. But of course the outcome was the desired one, because rarely did C.C. ever make mistakes whenever it came to salvaging Lelouch's shortcomings in the relationship department.

"Am I forgiven?" Lelouch asked quietly, peeking at his girlfriend underneath his dark eyelashes.

At the sight of those hooded violet eyes, Shirley was powerless to stop the imminent flush, and the inward swooning. What a lucky girl she was, for having captured Lelouch vi Britannia's unyielding heart.

Shaking her head, she spoke quietly. "Oh Lulu. You should know by now that I could never stay mad at you."

Her brilliant smile made him sigh in utter relief. In his mind's eye, he could see perfectly how the skies have cleared and the raging waters have calmed. And in the clutter, he created a mental note to get C.C. yet another thank-you gift.

Lelouch feigned a horrified expression, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "With the way you struck fear into my fragile heart, you could have fooled me."

The redhead sitting across the square glass table tittered at Lelouch's display. The man could be such an actor sometimes, but Shirley loved him for it. Because he was her boyfriend — her partner. And even if she didn't know him inside and out yet, she knew she eventually would — given time. At least she hoped so. His display of forgetfulness yesterday admittedly upset her, but wasn't that a part of being in a relationship too? Forgiving someone for their mistakes and giving them a second chance.

She flashed him a tender smile, and made up her own mind. They wouldn't be joking like this if matters weren't settled between them. And since it was obvious that they both decided to put the shortcoming to rest behind them, Shirley figured it was time to take things a step forward too.

"Let's not talk about yesterday anymore, Lulu." She shook her head and bit her lip before rising to approach his side of the table. "Now, I'd just like to thank you. For the dinner, for your sweet surprise. For apologizing and meaning it."

"Shirley, wha—?"

He sounded surprised, and pleasantly so. It was the exact reaction she was hoping for. Resisting the urge to sigh loudly in relief and ruin the moment, Shirley shifted slightly from her new spot on his lap. She was thankful her parents weren't home to see her act like this. It was very unbecoming. Not to mention, she actually wasn't used to this. But she wanted to show her boyfriend that she was ready whenever _he_ was. That she was a woman and not a mere girl.

"I—" Biting her lip again, she wrung her hands anxiously and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I just…"

"What is it, Shirley?" Lelouch's slight confusion was obvious. But he laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder anyway.

"Won't you kiss me, Lulu?"

He blinked once; twice; three times. Shirley's eyes were squeezed shut, as if she were afraid of his response to her request.

"We've kissed many times before. Why are you so shy about it now?"

Shirley opened one eye to see him with his trademark understanding smile. Didn't he get what she _meant?_ It wasn't so much a kiss, but she wanted to… She wanted to—

Breathing deeply, she was about to suck it up and tell him outright, but he beat her to it.

"Are you... sure, about this?" One hand remained steadfast on her shoulder. The other was wrapped around her waist. And his voice was quiet as he spoke his query.

"Well, maybe not all the way, but…"

"Okay then…"

Shirley would have fainted. And she was now quite sure that that was the most awkward invitation for sex in the history of mankind. But it was what it was, and her boyfriend kissed her with so much fervor that it was making her head spin.

vVvVv

She was by no means a horrible kisser, and she didn't have bad physical assets either. From an outsider's point of view, there was _literally_ nothing wrong with her. But even as they shared this intense moment that _so_ many couples sought after, why was he feeling so… _weird_?

Shouldn't every man jump at the chance to feel his lover's caresses? Shouldn't he be more _excited_ to finally get to _do_ this with her — even if it was halfway?

So… So why was he _not_?

But let it never be said that Lelouch vi Britannia was anything _but_ a gentleman. So, despite the fact that a part of him held inexplicable reservations, he returned her sweet kisses anyway. Pressing his mouth against hers with just enough force, so he wouldn't end up ruining the moment. He still _did_ owe her after all. He botched their anniversary, and he was just thankful Shirley was kind enough to let him off with a stern warning and no more of that silent treatment.

The feverish kisses continued, right up until he gently laid Shirley across the couch, leaving feather-soft kisses across her neck. His fingers ventured lower and lower and lower, until the tips met the hem of her shorts — her dress having ridden up in their fit of passion. He was curious to see if he could please her at least — with all that he knew, but her sudden yet gentle grip on his wrist stopped him from pushing any further. He peeked at her to see her flushed face and her green eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"What's wrong, Shirley?"

"I-I'm sorry, Lulu." She covered her face with her hands, voice muffled by her palms as she spoke, but he still heard nevertheless. "I thought— I thought I would be ready, but I just…"

"Don't worry about it, Shirley."

She peeked through a gap between her fingers to see him shaking his head and sitting up, righting the skirts of her dress in the process. Yet another understanding smile was on his lips, and a part of her regretted chickening out at this one opportunity. Because while there would be others, something as significant as their _first_ anniversary wouldn't. And plus, she _hated_ to be the one to disappoint Lelouch in matters like this. For though he made the mistake of forgetting their special day, that one mishap couldn't compare to the other sweet things he did for her throughout their days as a couple so far.

Lelouch was saying something about going up to her room so she could shower and they could cuddle under her blankets upstairs. But she stopped him easily enough when she kissed him _hard_ , and clumsily began to fumble with his trousers. She was frustrated and embarrassed at herself for being so inexperienced and all thumbs as she did this, but shameful first-times be _damned_. Because weren't all first-times supposed to be freaking awkward? Nevertheless, despite Lelouch's momentarily shocked cries, she did what she could and gently palmed the member hidden underneath his gray boxers.

She broke the kiss long enough to stare at the mixed emotions raging in his purple eyes. But when she moved her hand a little, she saw him gulp and was that a _moan_?

"Won't you help me take care of you, Lulu?"

vVvVv

C.C. was a sentimental person. It just wasn't a fact she liked to share with _anyone_. Not even her best friend knew that she had created photo albums of their best memories. In truth, C.C. wasn't very comfortable being reminded that she was a sentimental person, so she liked to avoid the tin box under her bed for the most part. But there were days when the childish part of her won out somehow and she would end up sitting in bed nestled amongst her pillows and just flip through the pages of one of her collections.

Some photos were courtesy of the members of Lelouch's family (particularly his mother and his sisters). Others were casual selfies C.C. took just to annoy Lelouch when he would unwillingly be roped along in one of her shopping excursions at the mall. From a phone or a camera, she had gone out of her way to gather them all bit by bit, until her photo collection had expanded to three medium-sized photo albums.

Drawing her knees further up to her chest, C.C. smiled at a picture of an adorably angry Lelouch _glaring_ at the camera. This was when she had dragged him with her to shop for her underwear in the women's section of the department store. She just couldn't remember whether it was the third or the first time.

Still smiling, she turned a page to be greeted with a younger version of herself laughing merrily atop a polished marble kitchen counter, while Lelouch chopped vegetables. This was when her best friend invited her to spend the Holidays with him and his family.

Lelouch's smile was so subtle yet pronounced at the same time here. And somehow, whoever took the photo (probably Euphemia) had captured that moment perfectly. This was probably on social media somewhere — knowing Euphy and her penchant for documenting family events and sharing them on the internet. She continued to stare at her best friend's face, slightly fascinated with his expression, for some reason.

It took three rings before the sound actually registered, and C.C. tucked a lock of hair behind her ear to pick up her screaming phone perched on her nightstand. She was _slightly_ surprised to see who the call was from. Because wasn't he supposed to be having lovey dovey time with his girlfriend?

"Aren't you supposed to be doing some _one_ right now?"

" _C.C.!_ "

Ah, how she loved to rile him up on phone. It was a shame she couldn't see his face flush a beet red. It would have made another great addition to her collection if she managed to snag a snapshot.

She sighed deeply, put her phone on speaker mode, and tossed the photo album to the foot of her bed while cuddling Cheese-kun. "You know, you're not supposed to be calling me at a time like this."

" _I know… I just— I can't sleep…_ "

She let a smirk surface even if he couldn't see it. "What, she didn't tire you enough?"

"C.C… Why _does everything have to be a sex joke with you?_ "

"Says the perverted degenerate who was _harassing_ me this morning."

" _Wha—_ "

"In any case, I'm assuming something happened, because you sound _very_ flustered."

She fiddled with the stuffed cheese blob's tiny hat since there was a slight pause from his end of the line where she heard movement.

" _Not all the way, though._ "

"You're such a cherry boy!" C.C. cackled crazily. Oh, she could see the tomato complexion already. And boy, even if it was a figment of her memory, it was still pretty damn amusing.

" _Says the woman who's only ever done anything like it with_ one _person before_." Was the smug reply, and now it was C.C.'s turn to flush.

Miffed at the truth behind his words, she narrowed her eyes at the screen — as if he could see her on the other side.

"Goodbye, Lelouch."

" _No, wait! I really_ do _need you._ "

Another layer of blush set in at her best friend's words. It obviously meant nothing, but could he really blame her for flustering beneath the implication of his words? In all fairness, it was easily misinterpreted.

He cleared his throat. " _Your advice, I mean…_ "

C.C. sighed deeply. "Where are you right now?"

" _Shirley's bathroom…_ "

"Stupidest thing I've ever heard from you. So what's up?"

Seconds of silence broken by nothing but static droned on, and her confusion was becoming more and more apparent. Initially, she had figured that he was gathering his thoughts, but _clearly_ that wasn't the case when the quiet stretched on for longer than ten seconds.

"Lelouch?" She prodded, rolling over onto her back.

" _It was nothing. Never mind. I'll just come and see you tomorrow. Okay?_ "

C.C. frowned. What was with the impulsiveness? Calling to ask her for advice, and then deciding not to say anything at the last second. Did it have something else to do with Shirley? But just as she was about to ask him, or bid him a proper farewell, C.C. realized the line had already died. And there was nothing left in that broken conversation except confusion and a strong sense of foreboding.


	5. The Liar and the Secret Admirer

" _So I heard vi Britannia's taken…"_

" _He is. Why are you pestering me about it?"_

_A slight pause… "Who's he dating?"_

_C.C. smirked at Suzaku's persistence when she looked up from her borrowed text book. What was_ with _everybody and prying into Lelouch's private affairs? Suzaku was the sixth person in a row today who asked about Lelouch's new girlfriend. She knew who the raven-haired man was dating, of course, but he had asked her to keep her mouth shut. C.C. was many things, but she_ did _respect Lelouch's wishes most of the time. (Not always, because she would still drag him to Pizza Hut even if he demanded otherwise)._

" _Ask him yourself. You're friends with him, aren't you?" She cocked an eyebrow, returning to her book while keeping an eye on the brunet from the corner of her vision._

" _He doesn't want to tell me anything. But I'm sure_ you _know."_

" _I am sworn into silence."_

 _C.C. sighed exasperatedly. With the way this whole University seemed to be_ fascinated _with Lelouch and everything that he did, she would have seen it fit to name him a celebrity. He probably was, to be perfectly honest. Everybody — especially the women — wouldn't stop raving about Lelouch Lamperouge vi Britannia and 'his_ gorgeous _eyes'; or 'that_ one _guy' from the Business Management department._

" _It's you, isn't it?"_

_Despite herself, C.C. laughed good-naturedly at Suzaku's wild guess…_

" _And what makes you say that?" She asked between chuckles._

" _You two have always been close." He shrugged._

_C.C. shook her head. "We're best friends. That would never happen." She closed her book and looked Suzaku dead into his green eyes. "Take a hint. Who do you see him with recently?"_

_Suzaku blinked, having just realized who C.C. was referring to. "Is it Shirley?"_

" _Bingo. But you didn't hear it from me." C.C. held up a finger to Suzaku's nose, leaving him cross-eyed. "Figured it out on your own."_

" _Why her?"_

" _Why_ not _her?" C.C. began prattling off a list of qualities with her fingers. "She's smart, mild-mannered, very pretty, has a nice body, sweet, and_ very _lady-like. "Why_ wouldn't _he fancy her?"_

_The scowl on Suzaku's face deepened to the point where he actually ended up giving C.C. a look._

" _I don't know, C.C.. Maybe because he's_ obviously _in to_ you _?"_

 _The brunet snapped sarcastically; genuinely annoyed at the news though he should be happy for his friend by all means. But like so many others — unbeknownst to the oblivious pair that was Lelouch and C.C. — Suzaku was actually rooting for the two to get together. It even got to a point where he assumed they were, because how could you just_ not _?_

" _He looks happy with her. Why would I object?"_

" _That's because he's only happy when he's with_ you. _"_

" _Enough." C.C. held up a hand to stop the the brunet's tirade. "We're not going to talk about this anymore. Just leave him be, Suzaku. And_ me _for that matter."_

" _Alright, I'll stop. But don't say I didn't warn you."_

 _C.C. waved a hand at him flippantly as he stood up to leave her be. Maybe he should speak to Lelouch and hopefully convince_ him _to face the truth…_

vVvVv

He made a promise to C.C. to see her today…

But how could he face her when he was like _this_?

Frustrated, irritable, and confused at the budding evidence of his feelings for a _certain_ someone. He just didn't understand how long it took him to even _acknowledge_ it, when (if Suzaku and his constant pestering could be believed) it had already been pretty evident to the rest except him and the other person in question.

Was he _that_ oblivious, then?

Since the very beginning, he was well aware of how close he and C.C. were; how inseparable like peas in a tiny little pod. Perhaps his other friends had been right to point out the other feelings twined into his friendship with C.C. _For crying out loud_ , he'd been _more_ than friends with her at one point. If _that_ didn't scream crossing the boundary, then he didn't know what did.

But it was more than that, wasn't it?

Looking back, he slowly turned the memories he had of them over and over in his mind, like a small figurine he couldn't stop scrutinizing. Around and around their memories went as he examined each side with clarity dawning brighter and brighter.

Because now that he thought about it, there wasn't anything strange about him being able to tolerate C.C. There should be nothing queer in the way he behaved around her or spoke to her. And even now, lying in bed just staring blearily at his apartment's familiar ceiling, he was powerless to stop the barrage of memories plowing through his brain.

Cera's odd habits. Her inexplicable obsession for anything that reminded her of the accursed Italian pie. Her coercing and threatening him to shop with her for _hours_ on end. Her hogging his entire bed whenever she slept over. Her habit of leaving her things in his car (and in his house) just to get under his skin.

She was so infuriating, and yet so _endearing_ at the same time. From the way she would pout discreetly when she was thinking too hard, to her serenely sleeping face with her slightly parted lips. He'd never told her, but he always liked it when she would stroke his hair, or run her thumb across his knuckles. Even the way she would nonchalantly fall into his lap if she was too out of it always made him feel funny. He was the designated cook between the two of them, but he never failed to appreciate the moments when she would cook for _him_. She always used her boredom as an excuse, but he rarely bought it.

There were so many things that he loved about her in a decade of knowing each other that it was difficult to point every single one of them out.

Her concern, her wisdom, her constant presence. The life and the mischief shining in her lively eyes. Her firm yet gentle touch — always her way of silently reassuring him. The teasing lilts in her voice whenever she uttered his name. Her familiar and homey scent of vanilla whenever he buried his face in her hair. Her smile…

The taste of her lips when he had kissed her for the very first time… He'd been drunk out of his mind then, but he remembered that irresistible taste as clear as day.

 _God, I really_ am _in love with her, aren't I?_

vVvVv

Monday morning saw Lelouch parking his car in the usual spot in the University grounds. Normally, C.C. would have been with him, already chatting away in the passenger seat while digging through her bag of random crap, but this time she wasn't, and not for the first time since yesterday's self-confession, Lelouch felt odd not having her here.

C.C. sent him a text earlier this morning that she wouldn't be riding to campus with him today, because she'd promised Leila she'd come with her to talk to their Liberal Arts professor or something; plus, they were finishing up a project together. The majority of Shirley's classes were also set for the afternoon well into the evening.

So with a heavy sigh, Lelouch left his car and made his way to his first class for the day, still drowning in his own thoughts and very much ignorant about how every girl in his department greeted him brightly, vying for just a _sliver_ of his attention. Even their History professor's riveting lecture about Britannia's long-gone monarchy failed to stop his thoughts about C.C. and his year-long relationship with Shirley.

Was it even worth putting in the effort anymore when his heart wasn't in it? (Maybe it never was, in the first place).

But what about Shirley?

She was so _invested_ in them being together, and he _knew_ that him calling quits on the relationship would crush her heart. If there was one thing that was near the top of his dislikes list, it would be upsetting a woman. No, he didn't like the idea of hurting a girl's feelings to be with another. He wanted a solution where they could all be happy — a solution where nobody was hurt.

Shirley was a good person — probably _too_ good for him, in fact. She deserved someone who would love her, and not just some guy who had been denying having feelings for his best friend for the most part of his life. Did he love Shirley? Well, he did…to a point. It sounded so wrong — even in his head, but he didn't love Shirley the way he loved C.C.

There was no comparison between the two because they were both special in their own way, but his feelings were just that. He was — had _been_ — in love with C.C., and it was his fault for not acknowledging it before.

The way _he_ saw it, Shirley was the poor soul dragged into the mess, but she didn't have to be. He was _dying_ to know if he had a chance with his best friend before he took steps and let Shirley down gently. It was the whole reason why he wanted to speak with C.C. yesterday, and why he couldn't tell her over the phone when he called her inside his girlfriend's bathroom.

But he didn't get to do it yesterday, because even _he_ had underestimated how much of himself he actually had to sort out.

"Oi!"

Lelouch yelped after receiving a stinging smack on the back of his shoulder.

"You failed to show up yesterday, and now you're _ignoring_ me. What's gotten into you?"

He whirled around to see the source of his confusion standing before him, clearly unimpressed with her arms folded across her chest. Her hair was in a high ponytail today, coupled with her cute gray top, skin-tight jeans, and black leather boots.

"A world of pain after you assaulted me." He mumbled, rubbing his smarting shoulder gingerly.

"And there's more where it came from." She grinned like a Cheshire and fell into step with him as he resumed walking. "Where are you headed?"

"I don't really know. Lunch probably." He had been running on auto-pilot all day with his thoughts preoccupied. It was the smartest answer he could give her. But then again… "But now that you're here I need to talk to you."

C.C. hummed, purposefully swinging her ponytail back and forth, clearly not realizing that she was distracting him. "Tell me what happened yesterday first."

"I wasn't feeling well." Well, that wasn't a lie. If he spoke to her yesterday, he wouldn't have been able construct a proper sentence much less voice out his point of view coherently. But now was his chance, and he needed to do it before he lost his nerve completely. "Let's go someplace where we can be alone."

The teasing that followed fell on deaf ears and even C.C. had picked up on his strange mood and shut her mouth halfway through. The usual spot where they had their lunch was as secluded as it could get in a University campus crawling with thousands of students. But it would have to do…

As they took their respective seats, C.C. eyed her best friend carefully, noting his strange gestures and his even weirder mood. She knew Lelouch well enough to know when joking around wasn't going to be good, and this moment was one of those. He had something serious to say, and she was waiting…

"Lelouch… what's wrong?"

His hands clasped together, he met her curious eyes and sighed. "C.C… Do you—" God, he didn't even know what to say. "Do you really not want a partner?" He blurted out, glancing at everything else but her.

A short moment of silence passed with nothing but awkwardness in between before C.C. spoke up.

"What is this really about?"

Should he tell her? But what if she shot him down? Worse, she wouldn't return his feelings. But there was no way of knowing _that_ for sure without asking. This whole situation was frustrating, not to mention incredibly ironic. Rarely was he ever at a loss for words — especially around C.C. He'd never thought admitting his feelings to a girl he _actually_ liked could be so… so… so intimidating.

It was even more so when she was looking at him like _that_.

"You have an admirer." For the second time today, his mouth ran on its own accord, and he resisted the urge to slap a hand over it in complete nitwit fashion.

One of C.C.'s delicately arched eyebrows raised in question. "Do I, now? That's a first."

Oh hell! If this was the only way he could worm an answer out of her, then _so be it_. "He wants to know if you're interested in being…" He swallowed _hard._ "Courted."

C.C. giggled, that undeniable mischief twinkling in her golden eyes. "Then why doesn't he grow a pair and ask me himself, hm? And more importantly, why did _you_ agree to play messenger for him — whoever the shy boy is?"

"I owed him a favor." Lelouch answered instantaneously, the lies just spilling from his silver tongue. And quite frankly, a part of him knew he would regret this sooner than later, but he couldn't stop. He didn't know where this was conversation was going…

C.C. laughed quietly, amused at the sudden turn of events. "Sounds like he did something remarkable for you." She propped her chin up against her palm. "The way _I_ see it, if he can't come outright and _tell_ me, why should _I_ give him a chance?"

A slow and sly smile crept across her face, and in that moment, Lelouch knew he had landed himself in even deeper and dirtier mud than he had first thought. There was _no way_ he was getting out of this unscathed or with his pride intact. What was he even _thinking_ making up all these stories?

Again, another lie slid smoothly from the tip of his tongue. "He wants to prove himself to you anonymously first. He told me he knows that you're not interested, so… He wants to give you a week to guess who he is. If you can't tell me his name by the end of seven days, then all he asks is one date. That's it."

C.C.'s eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "Where is this suddenly coming from? I thought we came here to talk about _your_ issues from last Saturday?"

Lelouch leaned back and only shrugged. "Shirley and I talked about it." Another lie… "So what do you say to his proposition, C.C.?"

Lelouch mentally crossed his fingers, hoping with all her might she would say 'yes,' because then at least he had the chance; both to sort out his messy feelings, and to slowly but surely — secretly — woo her into seeing a different side of him that not even Shirley had seen. And speaking of Shirley, he had to find a day to talk to her too, since he had made up his mind about C.C.

"Well, we'll have to see, won't we?" She shrugged.

"Is that a yes?" He blinked at her, pleasantly surprised with the temporary outcome.

C.C. didn't dignify it with a proper answer. She just shrugged, and let her gaze wander off, thinking about how weird this day was.

"Why are you so concerned over me finding a special someone?" She suddenly asked out of the blue, and it took him by surprise. C.C. was staring at him again, her hands idly fiddling with the necklace he'd given her this past weekend.

At this question, he didn't even have to think long and hard. It was as simple as, "You simply deserve one, C.C. No one should have to be alone." Smiling, he gently took one of her hands and intertwined their fingers before respectfully laying a kiss on her knuckles.

She leaned closer then, never taking her hand out of his. She was close enough that he could smell her familiar vanilla scent; so close that he could feel her quiet sigh against his mouth and he unknowingly held his breath for what was to come.

Was she really going to—

Her kiss landed on his cheek — alarmingly close to his lips. And although he was relieved, a bigger part of him allowed disappointment to fester in his being. Was it uncouth of him to silently admit how much he suddenly craved those pink lips pressed against his?

"I'll give him a chance, Lelouch." C.C. spoke quietly into his shoulder.

His inner self should have rejoiced — should have done a little embarrassing victory dance at the knowledge that she consented to being courted (however anonymous and unconventional the proposition had been). But all he could feel was disappointment in himself.

For failing to be brave enough to tell her the truth. For hiding behind a lie like a coward, because it was easier. But a chance was a chance. And he would take it — consequences and his own pride and dignity be _damned_.

_I'm such a liar…_


	6. You Look Like My New Girlfriend

"—So are you fine with meeting me at three later today?" Leila asked with her charming French accent, smiling at her partner who was currently very busy gathering the last of her things into her bag after a two-hour lecture.

"Mhmm…" C.C. nodded, slinging the bag over her shoulder with a smile as she followed one of the few girls in campus that she was actually friends with, out of the classroom. "I'll text you when I'm on my way."

"Will certainly do." Smiling, Leila waved one last time before saying something about meeting up with her boyfriend to do what, C.C. wasn't quite sure.

Besides, C.C. had her own concerns apart from school work and university life, and she didn't know how to feel about it. A couple of turns through the University's many hallways led her to the set of nondescript dark green lockers lined up against the wall. Opening it with little trouble, C.C. was just about to deposit her mini-pile of textbooks when something instantly fluttered out of the storage space.

From the sight of the mini baby blue envelope lying innocently on the floor tiles, she already knew what it was.

But a _love_ letter? _Seriously?_ How old school could he get?

Depositing her things into the locker, C.C. picked up the little note, and turned it over to find a small two-tone pink rose painstakingly glued to the flap. The flower wasn't very big, and the stem was obviously cut, but she would be lying if she said it didn't look charming with its obvious finishing touch. The back of the envelope had her name.

Shrugging, she slammed her locker door shut and proceeded to rip the top of the envelope neatly. Lelouch wasn't kidding about whoever the guy was, after all. Did she _really_ make the right decision in enabling this? Because for some reason, guilt was starting to bubble up sharply in her stomach. If she didn't fancy the man, this whole charade would look like she was toying with a person's genuine feelings (at least, she _hoped_ his feelings were genuine).

_Hello, C.C._

_Just a pink rose today to show you that I care. I know you don't know me yet…_

_But let me just say that you look exactly like my new girlfriend. =)_

_~Your S.A._

The rapid blinks were coupled with her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. He wasn't bold enough to show himself in person, but _boy_ , was he ballsy in print. To be perfectly honest, she had been expecting something along the lines of cliched 'roses are red; violets are blue' so and so all because he had chosen to slip her a love letter in her locker like they were in _high school_. Well, proved her wrong for sure.

Perhaps the next few days would be even _more_ interesting than usual…

"A secret admirer, hm."

vVvVv

Ever since their first anniversary celebration, her boyfriend had been studiously avoiding her…

Well, she didn't really have any _solid_ proof that he was, but a part of her could just _tell_. Some would call it intuition, and though she agreed, another part of her was still wondering if maybe she was just too paranoid. Lelouch was _faithful_ , and would speak to her if there was something bothering him, or if there was something undesirable between them (at least she _hoped_ he would).

Shirley wasn't oblivious or blind to the fact that Lelouch and his best friend, C.C., were close. She'd found it odd in the beginning when she was mooning over him, and was actually surprised that the two weren't, in fact, dating (what with how close they were), but Shirley certainly _didn't_ complain when _her_ chance came up. She snagged the opportunity, made it hers, and landed herself the man of her dreams..

But even after a year of dating, she could see how the slight gap between him and her didn't close, as she hoped it would. On the contrary, it seemed to widen recently, especially after their first-anniversary celebration. Seriously, what was up with _that_? She had no clue if the fault rested with her for not making an effort, or with him. She didn't want to blame his closeness with his best friend, but a part of her honestly did. But wasn't that normal?

She was jealous of the way Lelouch and C.C. interacted sometimes that she often ended up acting on impulse rather than rational judgment (which involved her making greater efforts to hold Lelouch's attention, so it wouldn't drift to C.C.). When the episode would end, she often found herself looking back and silently berating her own rash behavior. What would Lelouch think of her actions? She didn't want to drive wedges between people's relationships. But a year into dating, and _her_ relationship with Lelouch wasn't seeing any visible change.

_What's wrong with me?_

"Yoohoo, earth to Shirley."

Milly's sing-song voice was more than enough to cut through her vivid musings. Snapping out of her own brooding, Shirley was faced with the sight of her blonde friend waving her fingers melodramatically in front of her face.

"Milly, what do you think about Lelouch and C.C.'s relationship?"

Her friend was surprised for half a second — both at the question and at the abrupt change in conversation topic, before that familiar and mischievous smirk graced her face, and Milly leaned forward ever so slightly to tease her.

"They're friends. Why, are you jealous?"

Flustering, Shirley averted her gaze away from Milly's prying eyes to focus on her twiddling fingers. "D-Don't I have a right to be."

Milly hummed, leaning back and smiling up at the leaves giving them shade in this awfully warm afternoon. "Has something happened between you and your darling man to make you doubt his looooovveee for you?"

She loved Milly; she really did, but there were times when her friend could be overbearing with her pieces of advice. But then again, that's what made the blonde such a good confidant. She was so happy and carefree, yet so _motherly_ for some reason.

"Well, there's—" She was about to mention something she had noticed about Lelouch after their anniversary date, but her custom ringtone for a certain someone cut through the conversation.

Excusing herself, Shirley tapped the answer button and inexplicably felt hope flutter in her heart when she saw his name and his photo displayed proudly in her smartphone screen. That gleeful expression didn't go unnoticed as Milly watched her closely.

Shirley was so understanding — maybe _too_ kind for her own good, and though Milly didn't have a full picture of whatever Shirley was brooding over yet, she could see how much it bothered her friend. This was Shirley's _first_ steady relationship, so it wasn't a surprise that she wanted things to go _splendidly._ In the beginning, Milly had been around to witness how _happy_ Lelouch made her friend. The redhead was always a thousand times brighter in the presence of her man, and if her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, it wasn't far-fetched to say that Lelouch enjoyed her company too.

So, of course it would make sense that Shirley would feel bothered if there were untoward incidents that could _ruin_ her picture-perfect romantic relationship (Lelouch forgetting their anniversary was the prime example). Milly just hoped that things would work out for the girl and Lelouch, in the end. But whatever the outcome, the blonde had made a resolution long ago to support and be there whenever her friends needed her.

"Milly, I need to go. Lelouch wants to see me." And there was the _blinding_ smile Milly had come to expect whenever Lelouch was factored into the conversation. It was as if every worry dissipated with the dainty click of fingers.

The blonde stood up, gathering her things to leave _with_ Shirley. For the record, Milly _did_ have somewhere to be today, and although she would be arriving a full thirty minutes earlier than necessary to her appointment because of this, she didn't mind. She was more interested in hearing what Shirley had to say now.

"Ride with me. I'll drop you off." She winked, slinging an arm around the other girl's shoulders. "And maybe then you can tell me the _whole_ story."

Shirley only smiled. "Do you mind if we drop by the University Student Council quarters, first?"

vVvVv

She'd been to Lelouch's apartment duplex before. And she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy each and every one of her visits here. In the past year, there had been plenty of cute instances. They'd cook food or bake together, cuddle up on his couch to watch a romantic movie, do household chores together. She'd even spent the night once or twice where Lelouch had been gentlemanly enough to respect distance, but held her close as she slept, regardless.

But now that they'd…pleasured each other; dry humped — whatever you'd want to call it, was it safe to say that there would be further explorations in the near future?

She fanned herself with a hand, trying to relieve the flush that was so evident with her pale complexion. The door was unlocked as she stepped into the threshold of his humble foyer. Hanging her cute pink scarf (that Lelouch had given her for her birthday last year) on his coat rack, Shirley easily picked her way to his living room.

He gave her a call and asked her to come by with some of the work he'd left behind in the University Student Council room. He'd forgotten in his haste, but Shirley was all too happy to do him this favor and see him again (no matter how short their time apart had been). The sound of the TV in the other room confirmed that he was downstairs, and the sight that she stumbled on upon arrival was the one she could have _least_ expected to see today.

It was to see Lelouch soundly sleeping on his couch. What _was_ slightly disturbing to her was that his head was lying on his best friend's lap. C.C. appeared oblivious to her for maybe a couple of seconds. She was watching TV, but one of her hands were busy stroking his hair.

Despite her earlier thoughts about self-control, Shirley still felt envy's ugly green head leering at her. To be fair though, there was nothing odd about C.C. being around. Shirley was kind of used to her or her things being around Lelouch's house because they were understandably best friends. But looking at them now, perhaps she had underestimated their level of friendship intimacy, after all.

"Hey…" C.C. called out, distracting Shirley from her thoughts and successfully catching her wandering attention.

Slightly flushed, Shirley spoke up too fast in a bid to hide her nigh obvious fuming. "I have his USC reports."

C.C. didn't rise from the couch or make a move to shove Lelouch off of her, so she only stared as Shirley laid the documents on the coffee table and comfortably situated herself in one of the arm chairs — establishing her claim and her right to his apartment as his girlfriend.

C.C. couldn't fault her for it, but she _did_ find it amusing. She _always_ knew Shirley was easily riled up, and easily fell prey to jealousy. And though she did her part by warning Lelouch about that in the beginning, the boy preferred to remain oblivious to Shirley's discomfort whenever C.C. was around them both.

"Yeah. He said you were coming over right before he dozed off." C.C. frowned down at Lelouch and his serene slumbering face.

"Um… Just curious. What are you doing here?"

Shirley was a _failure_ at masking her true feelings. But C.C. was generous enough today to let her contempt slide and not tease her for it, embarrassing her in the process. The poor girl was already flushed from the annoyance she was trying (but _failing_ ) to hide.

C.C. shrugged, fighting an amused smile. "Just hanging out. Typical friends stuff."

Shirley stared at them both again, and sighed through her nose.

"Want something to eat?" C.C. cocked an eyebrow and adjusted her body accordingly when Lelouch shifted in his sleep.

"It's fine. I'll get the food." She made to stand from her seat, if only to get away from them both for a bit, but—

C.C. shook her head and insisted anyway. "No. You keep him company. I'll get snacks."

With fascination, Shirley watched as C.C. freed herself from Lelouch's weight. She slowly but gently replaced her lap with a fluffy couch pillow, and left the room, leaving Shirley alone with her boyfriend and her jumbled emotions. Making her way over to him, she outstretched a hand with the intent to stroke his hair just as C.C. had done. But she was met with a familiar set of pretty purple eyes instead.

Gaze half-clouded with sleep, he rubbed his eyes gingerly…

"Shirley? Where's C.C.?"

She knew she shouldn't feel this way, but her heart twanged painfully that his first thought upon waking up was to look for the other woman — almost as if he wanted her to be around at all times.

"In the kitchen. And I brought what you asked, Lulu."

Lelouch groaned and groggily pulled himself into a sitting position. Almost instantly, Shirley situated herself next to him, taking up the spot that C.C. had abandoned not too long ago. Lelouch put his arm around her shoulders out of habit (and because he knew she wanted it) just as C.C. came back in the living room with her arms full of edible goodies.

At the sight of Shirley curled up so close to Lelouch — as if she was trying to burrow herself into his body, C.C. giggled. She set her armful of treats down on the coffee table, trading them for her shoulder bag lying around Lelouch's comfy rug.

"Because the love of your life has arrived, I'll be making myself scarce."

Shirley tried not to look _too happy_ at C.C.'s words, but the way her face brightened slightly didn't escape C.C.'s notice. Her cheery face made a hilarious contrast with Lelouch's darkened features. It was as if a cloud instantly began hanging above his head.

"But I thought—"

C.C. cut him off with a nonchalant wave. "Tell you about it later."

Shirley bid her goodbye, but C.C. barely turned to acknowledge them both — even when Lelouch called after her with a familiar reminder. In all truth, she didn't plan on leaving so soon, but it was obvious to her how much she would make a third wheel out of herself if she stayed any longer in their loved-up presence?

Wasn't there an unwritten rule for that? To never get between two lovers' time alone together.

C.C. never thought about it being applicable to a close friendship before, but maybe it should. Maybe then she could stop feeling like she'd been left out all of a sudden — like she was missing out on something.

She'd always been the type of girl who thought she was better off alone — stronger as an island; no one to drag her down. That philosophy, at least, was dashed to bits and pieces by Lelouch himself when he came into her life and showed her that even the toughest of people needed friends. Further proof of that resolve was apparent yesterday when he'd told her that she deserved someone who would make her feel special.

Was that _why_ he had agreed to keep her admirer's identity a secret?

She had been _dying_ to pry information out of him, and she _nearly_ succeeded this afternoon, but his mouth was clamped shut, and he wouldn't budge. The curiosity was eating away at her, ticking in the back of her head like a waiting bomb. And with each instance that Lelouch _refused_ to answer her, she only _itched_ to find out more.

Just _what_ other clue would that mystery person drop her tomorrow?

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't anticipating it even just the _tiniest_ bit…

vVvVv

" _So, um, about last night…"_

" _Are you going to try and explain?"_

_Lelouch peeked at her from underneath his dark fringe only to see her in a similar state of shyness. Because last night had been…game changing to say the least. The events and the details of Suzaku's party were quite fuzzy, but what had happened in Suzaku's bedroom was clear as day._

" _I have a feeling that I'll fail trying to anyway." He chuckled under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck._

_C.C. finished her glass of water in one swig. "Then don't. What happened already happened. Not like you or I can go back and change it."_

_Lelouch looked up, surprised at her complete nonchalance over the incident. (Was incident even the right word?)_

" _Besides… Those were just basic physical needs, right?"_

_One look into her golden eyes told him what she was trying to hide. He could see the uncertainty swimming in those bullion hues, and though he felt unsure about the situation himself, he felt a sudden and inexplicable need to ease her worries and just make her comfortable being around him again. Because they were just too damn awkward right now._

_Lelouch nodded resolutely to her question. "Right. You and I are still what we've always been."_

_C.C. stepped around the kitchen island to approach him. "Best friends."_

" _And perhaps…"_

" _Something a little bit more."_

_It wasn't a question, nor was it a sure statement when she seamlessly completed what he had been mulling over since he'd woken up to find her next to him on the floor of Suzaku's room this morning. C.C. was as unsure as he was as they both navigated uncharted waters. But the look in his lovely eyes told her all she needed to know._

" _I want to try again and find out." Lelouch commented blankly, staring off into empty kitchen space._

_On any other day, C.C. would have gaped, but she knew his train of thought because they were both in the same boat. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't agree. Touching his forearm lightly, he turned to face her, eyes hiding the hunger that was starting to simmer. He lifted a hand and lightly cupped her jaw in response, fingers tickling every so slightly at the skin behind her ear._

" _Then what are you waiting for?"_

_Her whispered challenge, and her breath against his lips was the final straw, and he lowered his head to kiss the lips that he had been happily acquainted with just last night. This time though, there wasn't a single trace of alcohol clinging to her, and he freely tangled his tongue with hers as much as he liked. His best friend moaned deliciously into his mouth when he snaked his arm around her waist and subtly ground their hips together._

_Pressing C.C. against the edge of the kitchen counter, he pulled away for breath but just barely. He bit her lip when she arched her back and pressed herself closer to him, her breasts flush against his chest. She wound her arms around his neck and slowly began to move her hips — a motion that he relished in and returned in kind._

" _I could get used to do this." He hummed alluringly against her neck, planting wet kisses along her throat, collarbone, and her jaw._

_She bared her neck to his sensual ministrations and tangled her fingers in his silky locks of dark hair. And just to tease him, she lifted a leg and began running her calf along the back of his shin._

" _Shut up and kiss me…"_


	7. Our Tulips

_She could count the number of times she'd heard a man moan in one hand… Maybe it was around three or four times. And now Lelouch's moans could be added to that list._

_And in all truth, C.C. didn't understand why she was even thinking of_ that _when_ this _was happening to her. Not that she was counting, but it had been two months since she and Lelouch had agreed to this brand new 'arrangement.' So far, C.C. had no complaints… And neither did Lelouch, if his aggressive rutting was anything to go by._

" _What's so funny?"_

_C.C. hadn't realized she'd been giggling until Lelouch began speaking in between pants. His hot breath hit her neck and she shuddered pleasurably._

" _Nothing. Don't stop." She whined, writhing beneath him and tightening her grip on his raven locks._

 _She felt his shoulders shake as he snickered and peppered her bare skin with butterfly kisses. He stopped when he reached the valley of her heaving breasts to peer up at her adorably flushed face. His sultry gaze made her insides melt, made her strain for more more_ more _pleasure._

_But he was being a dick, and not giving it to her…_

" _Lelou_ _—_ _"_

" _How_ badly _do you want to come?"_

 _The heavy words coupled with his hot breath fanning against her bare skin sent pleasant shivers down her spine, eliciting a_ loud _moan that echoed across his living space. Who knew murmuring words against flesh could feel so erotic? She bit back another groan when one of his hands wandered and cupped one of her breasts. He kneaded the fleshy mound with firm strokes, before he took one into his mouth just to tease a pert nipple with his roguish tongue._

" _Lelouch,_ please _—" She mewled._

 _He released her breast with a_ wet _and audible pop as his other hand found the sensitive bundle of nerves tucked between her shapely legs. Teasing her, he brushed the pads of three of his fingers across her slit, purposely toying with her clit for a good few seconds just so she could feel that sweet sweet ache that_ needed _to be sated._

_C.C. tried clamping her legs together to stop his teasing, but she realized her efforts only made it worse for her as Lelouch replaced his fingers with the clothed bulge that was prominent on his crotch._

_She wanted it… So, so, bad… She knew he did to._

_Whenever he did this to her, she was always reminded of the times when she_ ached _to know how he would feel, throbbing and leaking, inside her. The very prospect of it happening one of these days (if they both mutually decided to throw all manner of barriers — figurative and literal — aside) never failed to make her wet._

" _C.C.," he growled, "—you can't even_ begin _to imagine how much I want to fuck you."_

_C.C. whined, wrapping her arms around his back, pressing their bodies together as they kept grinding. She was so aware of how stained his boxers had become, how her insides clenched and tightened only to meet a hollow space, and hearing him say such words was the breaking point._

" _Fuck me." She panted. "Hard and fast."_

" _Ngh… You sure?" His eyes were glazed with so much lust, it was_ maddening _._

 _And yet despite it all, she appreciated him respecting their initial arrangement. Months ago, they had both agreed on keeping things to experimentation only, but_ heck _this was far_ too good _to even consider stopping now. She_ wanted _him just as much as he wanted her. There was_ literally _no way around it._

" _Yes." She sighed when he laid a tender kiss on her jaw. "Take me, Lelouch."_

_Those three little words were the only invitation he needed…_

_He was in the middle of sliding off his boxers — the only thing keeping him from taking her right then and there — when the distracting sound of a vehicle pulling up in the driveway effectively_ shattered _and ruined their moment. His hands stopped dead in their tracks, his head jerking up in surprise to stare with wide eyes towards the direction of his front door that was going to open_ any _minute now._

_Lelouch cursed under his breath as he scrambled off of C.C., instinctively sliding his ruined boxers back on — both to regain a shred of modesty and to hide his dying erection._

_How could he have forgotten that_ his mother _had told him she was coming to see him today?_

 _Turning to C.C., he found her already picking up her stray articles of clothing strewn all over his living room floor. She was smirking and shaking her head in amusement and at how comical this display was turning out to be, but he knew she was disappointed to. Well,_ he _definitely was… And just when he had been so close to feeling her tight, wet, hot—_

" _I'm going to your bathroom."_

 _He was left to stare after her in bewilderment at how nonchalant she was being about this. But a part of him had an inkling about her_ real _thoughts. Nothing sucked more than interrupted would-be sex, after all. The sound of a car door being slammed shut shook him out of his momentary stupor. And realizing that he had_ literally _seconds to fully clothe himself, Lelouch hopped and trembled from sudden nerves as he worked hastily to shrug on his rumpled clothes._

_He had managed to securely buckle his belt just a few seconds before the front door opened._

" _Lelouch!" Marianne called from the foyer._

 _Said son took a moment to glance at his reflection through a glass cupboard, cursing again when he realized he looked more disheveled and obvious than he thought. Grabbing the can of Lysol from one of the end tables (he'd never been more grateful to have one of them lying around in his living room), he hastily sprayed it around the room (to get rid of any olfactory evidence of what he and his best friend had been up to) before dropping the spraying can unceremoniously on his couch in favor of greeting his mother at the door — his pride_ be damned _._

" _Mother." He greeted her with a smile, grimacing ever so slightly. Wet underwear was uncomfortable as all hell._

_Marianne beamed at her son, graciously ignoring how messy he looked in favor of embracing him and kissing his cheek affectionately. She started saying something or other about Nunnally and how things were back home, but for the life of him, Lelouch couldn't concentrate because he was more paranoid about the fact that his mother probably noticed something fishy about how he smelled and looked._

_For crying out loud_ , everything _about him — at the moment — was screaming 'I just had sex!' From his disheveled hair to his rumpled clothes, and (he dearly hoped not) C.C.'s lingering bodily scent_ all over him.

" _Have you been taking care of yourself, darling?_ " _Marianne called over her shoulder as she made her way to his kitchen to deposit her armful of grocery bags._

" _I have. Why would you think I wouldn't be?" He followed after her, discreetly smoothing the front of his shirt and correcting the buttons he had misaligned in his haste._

" _I brought you some fruit and fresh vegetables since I know how much you love cooking." She crooned at him like he was no more than seven years old, and pinched his cheek._

_Lelouch protested, and let their conversation carry on, nevertheless. This familial exchange between mother and son had C.C. smiling with amusement from her post in Lelouch's first-floor bathroom. Adding the finishing touches to her hair and light makeup, she mentally patted herself on the back for doing a job well done at concealing her previously sexed up appearance._

_She emerged from her hiding place for the last five minutes or so to see Lelouch pouting about something his mother had said. Catching sight of her entering the kitchen, the vi Britannia matriarch immediately greeted her with a cheeriness that rivaled even the happiest of morning birds._

" _C.C.! Lelouch didn't tell me you would be here." Marianne gave her a motherly hug she gladly returned._

" _She was in the bathroom, and she'd come out eventually. I don't need to say anything."_

_C.C. peered at Lelouch's grumpy profile and couldn't resist snickering behind her hand when Marianne redirected her attention on the vegetables she was laying out for cooking. She was talking about how Lelouch's father, Charles, was so busy these days with the family business that he hardly had time for her. Meanwhile, C.C. sidled up next to her sulking friend and nudged him gently with her elbow._

" _Are you mad about something?" She teased good-naturedly, knowing full-well what was nicking away at him. He barely had time to fix himself, and his appearance alone was evidence to what they had been doing before his mother had unknowingly interrupted them with her arrival._

" _I'm not mad." Lelouch insisted quietly, arms folded across his chest as he occasionally grunted and hummed in agreement to Marianne's every word._

" _By far, that was the most intense we'd ever been." She mumbled quietly._

" _C.C.!" He hissed, shooting her a withering glare that did nothing to faze her — only fueled her silent teasing._

" _No worries." She patted his arm. "There's always next time."_

_Giggling, the green haired girl stood on her toes and planted a quick kiss on Lelouch's cheek before leaving him to join his mother at the opposite end of the kitchen; who still — miraculously — hadn't noticed the interaction between her son and his best friend._

_But as Lelouch watched C.C. and his mother chat so animatedly, he couldn't help but think back to what his mother had jokingly alluded to when he and C.C. had been sixteen years old and in high school. Marianne had told him that C.C. was the perfect daughter-in-law to have someday._

_The women had finished cutting vegetables and C.C. was now busy sauteing onion and garlic over a pan while Marianne began preparing the chicken._

_Watching how she moved, how she so easily conversed and kept up with his mother's extroverted personality, how she effortlessly located every cooking utensil in_ his _kitchen, slowly made him acknowledge with_ unbiased _(or so he hoped) judgment that maybe his mother had been quite accurate, after all._

_The perfect future daughter-in-law indeed._

vVvVv

Two years into University, and Suzaku couldn't remember ever seeing C.C. so _unusually_ quiet. She didn't seem like she was feeling unwell, but she was picking at her french fries with a fork, _barely_ even touched her food, and busied herself with sipping on her strawberry tiramisu milkshake.

So, what was a guy supposed to think?

He had half a mind to ask Lelouch about her strange mood, but the man was busy entertaining Shirley's stories, and seemed riveted. Maybe it was that Lelouch wasn't talking to her? But Suzaku quickly dismissed that thought, because C.C. wasn't really the type to be _overly_ sensitive about details like _that_. Plus, they had joked and bickered like they _always_ did… and in that usual way that made passers by and everybody else not-in-the-know mistake them as a couple.

He was opening his mouth to speak, when Euphy elbowed him gently and leaned closer.

"Is C.C. all right?" She asked quietly, and Suzaku followed her gaze to see said girl staring out the window in a weird daze.

"She _seems_ fine. Just a little dazed."

But his girlfriend, Euphy, was never one for letting people mope around. She had the kindest heart, and always did her best to help out whenever she could.

"C.C., are you okay?"

Euphy hadn't meant to grab the attention of everyone at the table, but that was exactly what happened. Even Shirley and Lelouch stopped laughing and joking around to see C.C. blinking innocently at all of them with startled eyes. It only lasted for a split second, though, as that familiar and passive light returned to her eyes.

"I'm fine, Euphy." She flashed the other girl a charming smile, but it instantly disappeared when Lelouch divulged something C.C. wasn't _too_ keen to share.

"Thinking about your secret admirer, are we?" Lelouch cocked an eyebrow at her and returned her subtly threatening glare with a haughty smirk.

"Secret admirer?" Shirley piped up, obviously pleasantly surprised.

C.C. glanced at all of their surprised expressions, and resisted the urge to rip out her best friend's tongue with the knife and fork on the table. No one else but Lelouch was privy to the fact that she had consented to being courted, and now having three other people know about it didn't make her happy. She had to give each of them points for sporting amusing reactions though. Euphy was pleasantly surprised, Suzaku was a mix between being happy and sort of sad, and Shirley… Shirley was _thrilled_. And C.C. could only imagine _why_.

"Oh, that's so romantic, C.C." Euphy gushed and began to prattle on and on about how giddy and bubbly C.C. must be feeling, and how much she deserved this.

But as much as it was entertaining to listen to Euphy's and Shirley's fantasies (yes, the redhead joined in with Euphy's tirade and left Suzaku and Lelouch listening with fond amusement), C.C. couldn't resist feeling as if she had just been invaded.

She cleared her throat. "Can we not—"

"Does he send you flowers and stuff?" Euphy asked with wide indigo eyes and a teasing smile on her face.

"Oooh. I bet he leaves her secret notes."

"What kind of courting does he do?"

Watching the two gush, Lelouch secretly relished the sight of C.C. and her annoyed expression. It rarely happened, and for that, he secretly gave himself a pat on the back for instigating the reaction. He knew his best friend would give him hell for it later on, but it was worth it.

"It's really none of your business." C.C. deadpanned them all and began munching on her fries.

"I'm just surprised Lelouch isn't overreacting about all this." Suzaku shrugged, glancing at the raven-haired man situated between two girls.

Shirley frowned slightly, not really liking the implication in Suzaku's voice — at _least_ she hoped it didn't mean what she thought it did.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Lelouch growled, glowering at Suzaku and completely missing the amused looks from the women around the table.

"That you're overprotective of C.C. the same way you're overprotective of Nunnally."

They'd all been expecting an explosive reaction, as that was completely normal for Lelouch, but instead he just shrugged and continued eating his plate of baked macaroni.

"C.C. has a choice in her own life. She's an adult, you know."

"Gee, thanks _dad_." C.C. piped up sarcastically, not exactly happy that this hyper conversation only started when Lelouch dropped the bomb about her having an admirer.

The rest of the conversation carried on with a different topic as Shirley began gushing about this new place they should all totally visit soon. And much like before, C.C. relapsed back into her suddenly sullen mood. They had carpooled to the shopping mall and the restaurant, and they did the same when they headed for home — with Lelouch as the designated driver.

After dropping off both Suzaku and Euphy at the former's place, Lelouch turned into Shirley's street to bring her home. Left alone in the back seat with the couple conversing at the front, C.C. was still busy ruminating about her day and about how serious this 'secret admirer' (she honestly hated to call him that) was going to be. The man, whoever he was, was quite bold when it came to writing down his feelings. But how that boldness was going to transfer to his _actual_ real-life personality, she didn't know. And she was honestly itching to find out…

"Hey, C.C.? Are you going to be all right waiting in the car for a bit?" Lelouch asked her through the rear view mirror. Shirley was watching her curiously too, but C.C. wasn't in the greatest of moods to entertain herself with Shirley's obvious reaction to things.

She waved Lelouch and Shirley off nonchalantly, scrolling through her phone randomly just to show that she was doing something, when she really wasn't. "You two get out of the car and kiss each other bye bye."

Glancing at them, she could see Shirley's flush, and the slight tinge of pink tinting the tips of Lelouch's ears. But although Lelouch retaliated with a few words, he left her alone in the car for a bit to walk Shirley to her front door — like a good and dependable boyfriend should.

C.C. dug through her bag and easily found the scrap of paper and the flowers with their slightly crumpled petals. The girls' presumptions had been correct, but she wasn't keen on granting them the satisfaction of guessing right. Still, Euphy's and Shirley's fantastical imaginings earlier only confirmed the obvious for our silly green-haired Witch.

Her admirer was a traditional man, but he had a streak of horrible humor, it seemed.

Nestled between two yellow tulips crossed at the stems was a note tied to both with a pretty white-gold ribbon.

_One tulip's mine…_

_The other one is yours…_

_Want to grow a garden, so we could put our tulips together?_

_~Your S.A._

Reading it for the first time inside the classroom had made her flush horribly. Embarrassed with herself, C.C. had already resolved to forget her initial reaction, but how could she? It was so _ridiculous_ and _silly_ to feel so… so… giddy about something as tacky as a love note and an _awful_ pick-up line that insinuated how much he wanted to kiss her.

She often teased Lelouch about being so virginal in his relationship with Shirley, but even C.C. was prone to forgetting that she only had intimate interactions with one man her entire life. And that man was none other than her best friend, who was actually very busy sticking his tongue down Shirley's throat, at the moment.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the image, C.C. returned to scrutinizing the secret man's spidery handwriting. It was _so_ fancy that it actually reminded her of Lelouch's elegant penmanship — which she envied.

C.C. had very minimal experience in the relationship department (mostly by choice). But now that the thing that people only ever talked about happening in books and movies was coming true for _her_ , she didn't know how to feel. Despite what others had to say, C.C. knew there was a minuscule part of her that was a sucker for all things sentimental, traditional, and romantic. So, even if she tried so hard denying it, receiving love letters from a mystery person left her feeling like a school girl with a first crush.

And she _hated_ herself for it, because it was just _so ridiculously stupid_.

She _shouldn't_ be getting fluttery feelings from some unknown man writing atrocious pick-up lines about kissing her one day.

Looking up, however, she caught sight of Shirley throwing herself at Lelouch and embracing him so tightly. Her best friend easily returned the intimate embrace, and C.C. couldn't help but think back to the times when _he_ had held her like that. And not just when they hugged while standing up. Many times before, she had woken up to find his arms wrapped around her as she snuggled into his warmth. Besides the hugging, he'd kissed her innocently and affectionately on her cheek, forehead, or hand many times before ( _way_ before they engaged in a friends-with-benefits arrangement).

So, maybe it wasn't so much in the fact that she was a closet romantic, but perhaps it laid more on the fact that she _wanted_ to experience what two people in love had after all…

What would it feel like to _actually_ date someone and _be_ in a committed relationship? And could she even do it?

She thought she didn't know, and that was exactly what she'd told Lelouch so many times in the past.

But thinking about it now, perhaps she _did_ have an idea of what being in a relationship actually was like too.

It was spending huge amounts of time with the other person without being forced to. It was all about going out together to enjoy each other's company, and it didn't matter whether that activity was eating together or doing nonsensical things. It was staying over at someone's place when you knew they were upset or needed your comfort the most. It was staying up all night to listen to them talk or vent. It was meeting their family, spending time with them during big holidays.

To her, all of that meant _being with her best friend_. Her best friend who was head over heels in love with another woman.

She let her gaze wander to the slightly rumpled note still clutched in one hand along with its pretty flowers, and smiled sadly at the affection buried underneath elegant scrawls of black ink.

How in the _world_ was she going to come to terms with meeting and liking this mystery man if she can't even understand how she was supposed to be feeling about her best friend now?


	8. A Piece of You

_Wasn't he supposed to be starting a new relationship?_

_What the_ hell _was he doing_ kissing _her like this?_

 _But even then, she could never resist. A hand slowly snuck its way underneath her sweater, and the feel of his bare and warm fingers on her skin made her shudder with pleasure. His other hand framed her face, keeping their faces aligned just right as he closed the minuscule distance between their mouths to lock their lips together in a languid kiss that sent her heart_ racing _._

_The arms wrapped around his torso tightened as she aided him in pressing their bodies together, one of her fingers curling around his belt loops to anchor him to her. That conniving tongue slowly twined around hers and she was powerless to stop a moan from escaping their joined lips._

_Her mouth followed after him as he pulled away to let her catch her breath. He attached his lips to the skin at her jaw instead, and she bared her neck to his kisses — unwilling to resist the sensual pleasure he dangled over her. Never mind the fact that he was petting her on school grounds — that they were making out within the four corners of a lecture room._

_She couldn't even remember who started snogging who. The last thing she could vividly recall was him meeting her at the end of a three-hour lab class. She wasn't sure if something was bothering him, but she didn't have the time to think it over too deeply when she realized too late that they were already kissing._

" _If someone sees us like this…"_

_He smirked against her mouth and resumed what he'd been doing to her. "That's not what you were telling me a minute ago."_

_She pulled back from him long enough to scrutinize his face. He was right. She usually wasn't the cautious one. But it looked like a momentary role reversal had just taken place. Eyes still half-lidded and hazy from the pleasure, she stared at his slightly flushed face and his heavily tousled hair._

" _What happened with Shirley?"_

_He shrugged simply, and moved to kiss her again. But she stopped him with a hand to the chest, silent as she wordlessly demanded an answer._

" _I said yes." He sighed heavily, glancing away from her for a bit and completely missed her small smile._

" _So what are you doing fooling around with me, then?" She cocked an eyebrow at him._

_His mouth curled up into one dastardly smirk. He took her hand and intertwined their fingers before laying a kiss on her knuckles._

" _This thing we have going on deserves a proper farewell, doesn't it?"_

_Her eyebrows further disappeared into her fringe… A last hurrah to a stupid friends-with-benefits arrangement? That was kind of funny._

" _I mean, if this is your last chance to experiment with a man since you_ obviously _insist on staying single, I might as well make it worth your while."_

_She didn't know if she should feel insulted or grateful. She decided on both and jabbed his gut lightly for his snarky comments._

" _How'd a sweet girl like her fall for an asshole like you, I'll never know."_

_Lelouch rubbed the assaulted area gingerly, and made a show of expressing his pain. But that show quickly ended when she gave him her consent. He had grinned like a child (though, that wasn't probably the right comparison considering what they were about to do). Excitedly, he grabbed her wrist and ushered them both out of the room to continue their idea of adult fun._

_They still had classes for the early part of the evening, so Lelouch simply settled for bringing her to his car. Never had he felt so thankful that he made the decision that he did when he chose to heavily tint all his windows black when he first got his car._

_Locking all the doors and gently settling his best friend in his lap, they kissed hungrily again — teeth knocking together occasionally and tongues twining intimately. Her hands were busy unbuttoning his polo shirt, just as his own undid the clasp that secured her brassiere._

_Breasts finally free from under-wire, he cupped them with his hands and slowly began to knead the lovely mounds, fingers brushing across delicately tipped nipples. He relished the sound and the feel of her moans in his mouth, and let out a gasp of his own when her hands had successfully unzipped his fly and brought his half-hard cock out. Stroking it just the way he liked it, she pulled away from his mouth to hear him moan hotly into her ear, hips bucking against her delicate touch._

_Squirming and writhing alluringly against him, she paused in her ministrations and whispered into his ear all the lovely pleasures she had in-store for him. And so they whiled away the rest of their free afternoon reacquainting themselves with each other's bodies, relishing the last time they'd feel and indulge in mind-numbing pleasure in each other's friendly company._

_Because there was no room for something as unconventional as this when you entered into an official relationship with someone else, right?_

vVvVv

It had been a _long_ day of school and an afternoon out with friends, but for some reason, he and C.C. had ended up in his bedroom. And the two were currently in the middle of a _mad_ movie marathon; through C.C.'s coercion of course, because _no way in hell_ was he ever in the mood to even watch a movie to begin with.

He had _tried_ sleeping. But fact of the matter was, his best friend wouldn't let him. When he had protested, she pulled out the 'You promised' card, and from then on he was unable to refuse succumbing to her whims.

He had learned early on that it was _pointless_ to try and talk C.C. off of something she had set her mind to. In times like that, he would inwardly curse C.C.'s tendency to be _very_ persuasive (and forceful when needed), but now, he was beginning to think his easy relenting wasn't because of C.C. but because of his own thriving feelings for her instead.

He knew she had tried to hide it, but the small genuine smile that unfurled across her lips when he had reluctantly agreed was the testament to how pleased she was towards his decision.

And that smile… That was all he really needed to see. And it was enough to melt the weariness from his body.

Although… That weariness was slowly returning. Sitting through two movies would make any soul drowsy, he supposed, but from the corner of his eye, he could see his female companion slowly falling prey to sleep. But it was cute to discreetly watch her trying to fight off slumber — and failing far _too_ evidently. Unable to resist, he promptly poked her cheek with his fingers, and was amused when he didn't receive a response.

"C.C., we should just stop and go to bed." Chuckling, he gently guided her head to his shoulder, where she settled comfortably.

"We're finishing this one, and _then_ bedtime." Was the insistent reply that only made him shake his head.

She was often quick to accuse him of stubbornness, but in moments like this, he often had half the mind to tell her that she had no right to point fingers when she was obviously as stubborn as he was. The difference was that he acknowledged what she vehemently denied. But that was okay… She could keep her pride.

They were at the point of the movie where Lelouch was bored out of his mind and preferred to entertain himself with her facial expressions rather than the actual scenes. She wasn't moving, but her eyes were open, and still trained towards the laptop screen glowing blue in the darkness of his bedroom.

"So how's the secret admirer business going?"

C.C. shifted slightly and peered up at his face for a reaction, but he wasn't looking at her. Smiling to herself, she hugged one of his fluffy pillows closer and returned her cheek to its previous position on his shoulder.

"And why do you want to know?"

"Don't I _have_ a right to know?" There was a pause before he swiftly added. "I'm the one who told you about his intentions in the first place."

Humming, she lazily traced random patterns along his forearm. "Why don't you two just give up the charade and _tell me?_ "

It was his turn to laugh quietly. "And spoil all the fun? Why would I do _that_?"

Facing him again, her lovely golden eyes narrowed dangerously. "I swear if this ends up being a _stupid_ joke, I will gut you so hard, you won't be standing for two years and then some."

"C.C., I wouldn't even _dream_ about pulling practical jokes on you."

"You've done it before!"

"Yes, but only in retaliation for _your_ own antics."

She swatted his hand away when he poked the tip of her nose.

"Besides—" He was stroking her hair now, and she wondered if he was doing it subconsciously or on purpose. "I never saw or heard _you_ complain about the letters or the gifts you've been getting."

"Shut up…"

"Is it safe to say that you're pleased with them?" He cocked an eyebrow, twirling locks of green hair between his fingers and tugging on them gently to coax a response out of her.

"And again, _why_ do you want to know?"

"A man needs encouragement once in a while, C.C."

"Well…" She pulled away and crossed her arms in front of her. "He either perseveres or I say _no_. Girls are picky, you know. And most of us appreciate a man who can speak his mind. He's been doing a great job with _that_ so far — with how obnoxious his pick-up lines are."

Inwardly laughing at her show of resistance, he didn't want to put her off, so he just smiled. "I guess he'll be happy to know that you've taken a liking to them."

"I don't recall saying I _liked_ them." C.C. insisted, cocking an eyebrow in challenge. "I just called them obnoxious in case you weren't listening. Why are you being so nosy?"

Lelouch only sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Like _you_ aren't? There's no winning with you, is there?"

"For what it's worth, I guess you can tell him I appreciate his thoughtfulness. No matter how weird they are for the most part." Nodding resolutely, C.C. stretched her legs and resumed her previous position against the headboard. A few moments of uneasy silence ticked by before she broke it with, "Have you done Shirley yet?"

Sputtering with indignance, he had never been more grateful that they were simply sitting and watching and not eating or drinking. Otherwise, food would have littered his pristine bed sheets at her sudden questions.

"C.C.! We've been over this! I haven't."

His best friend only shrugged nonchalantly before she flashed him a teasing smile that glimmered in the darkness. "Could've fooled _me_ with the way you stuck your tongue down her throat when you brought her home today."

"Wha—"

"Why are you such a prude around her, Lelouch?"

"Why are you sticking _your_ nose in _my_ business?"

"Well, I see you don't like the taste of _your_ own medicine." C.C. stuck her tongue out, and with his thriving feelings for her simmering within him, he sincerely resisted the urge to close the distance between them and kiss her impulsively right then and there.

"Or maybe you're just jealous…" He quipped instead, and it earned him the sight of C.C. exaggeratedly heaving, feigning nausea.

"Why would I be jealous of your sickly sweet relationship?" She wrinkled her adorable nose at the thought and continued pretending to gag.

Lelouch turned back to the now-forgotten movie and simply shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe you miss _my_ tongue sticking down your thro— C.C.!"

He was a _bastard_. And he was just the _worst_! Always springing his inappropriate jokes in the most horrid of times. Why was she _friends_ with him again? Granted, he hadn't even done that until they'd both crossed the line ages ago. So perhaps she held half of the blame for why Lelouch was now like this.

Still flustered from the teasing, she kept glowering at him even when he removed the pillow that nearly suffocated him after his stupid mouth ran.

"Lelouch, stop."

Chuckling from the reaction he had gotten out of her, he set the abused pillow aside and scooted closer to her again. "You make it so easy." And when she _still_ didn't acknowledge him, he twined his fingers with her limp ones and pulled her to him again. "Sorry."

She snorted, but didn't protest when his other hand began to stroke her hair once more after he tucked her head into the crook of his neck.

"I hate you sometimes." She murmured. Closing her eyes, she breathed in his familiar scent and chastely kissed the skin her lips could reach. He stiffened momentarily, and she smiled at his reaction, but didn't bother to move away all the same. She was _far_ too comfortable.

He sighed. "I know. Me too. But you and I never mean it."

The hand on her hair had wandered. She remained still when he gently stroked her lower back and smoothly slung half of his arm around her waist. Shivering unintentionally from his touch, she only burrowed closer to him — suddenly confused. Because he always managed to puzzle her whenever he touched her like this. And the fact that he'd been doing it a _lot_ lately whenever they were alone didn't bother her — per se. It just left her with mixed feelings.

Nevertheless, she relished his touch because it was always so warm and comforting, so gentle. And it was in rare moments like this that a part of her wished they would stay that way forever…

Best friends… and not quite lovers.

vVvVv

A comfortable silence blanketed them both as they let the rest of the movie drone on. Halfway through the ending scenes, Lelouch had taken note of the fact that C.C. had surrendered to her drowsiness and was unable to finish the movie like she insisted on doing in the first place.

Carefully, he brought the sheets over her vulnerable form and left her side long enough to put away the laptop and its other accessories. When he slid into bed beside her, and closed his eyes, he still found himself unable to sleep.

Instead, he watched his best friend slumber on — watched the way her eyelids and the dark lashes framing them fluttered as she slept. She was so beautiful, his love. So endearing and so sweet in her own precious ways. She rarely ever showed it, but she cared and he knew she did. She never failed to be there whenever he needed someone who would listen. But above all else, he could barely deny the sound of his own laughter whenever he was in her presence. She dragged him into all manner of crap, and did so many things to piss him off, and yet he loved her. She kept him on his toes, kept him guessing. She was a puzzle he wanted to completely solve, but not really. Because it was her enigmatic personality that lured him to her. But it wasn't just _that_ either. There were so many facets to her personality that he had discovered and loved.

And throughout the years, he realized he had begun to love her more than the day before.

Pillowing his head with one hand, the other wandered to trace her facial features. He lightly tapped the tip of her adorable nose, and slowly slid his fingertips across the arch of her brows, the corner of her eyes, her smooth cheek, her slightly parted soft lips.

Part of him knew he shouldn't be doing this — shouldn't be invading his love's privacy as she slept. But was it wrong? Was it really a sin to admire beauty like hers?

The overwhelming onslaught of his own jumbled feelings flooded his mind, and he tenderly cupped her cheek and moved closer; inch by inch as he steadily closed the distance between them, wanting nothing more than to kiss her and silently confess what he'd been hiding all this time.

But the rational side of him won out in the end, and he pulled back — but just barely. He wouldn't dishonor her worth by stealing a kiss that he knew she would give if she wanted to. He could steal all the kisses he could possibly want when they were committed to one another and were within a _real_ relationship. But at the moment, they were friends. And friends didn't kiss other friends unless they asked for it with pleading golden eyes and a needy voice.

So instead, he only settled for threading his fingers through hers under the sheets before pressing his lips to her forehead; all the while, mouthing three little words into her skin.

Three little words that he _wanted_ to say, but knew he couldn't. Not now, at least…

vVvVv

"Is there some _bizarre_ reason why you decided to _drag_ me to Pizza Hut in _third_ period?"

Licking at the strings of cheese and leftover pepperoni, C.C. ignored his grouching steadfastly and flashed him the Pizza Hut coupons (what was left of them anyway, after today's meal) she had acquired from her secret admirer early today.

Lelouch only sighed at the shiny slips of paper. Maybe he should have known better than to give her the Coupons on a weekday. He could have reserved that gift for Saturday, but _no_. He just _had_ to give them to her _now_ of all days. Still, she did look incredibly happy with all of her pizza, and that made it all worth it, didn't it?

Playing the innocent fool, Lelouch spoke up. "Why did he have to give you Pizza Hut coupons?" He grumbled and ignored the way she polished off slice after slice.

"I guess my love for pizza isn't as discreet as I'd like it to be." Humming, she paused and sipped on her drink before resuming her unusual feast.

_Why?_

He could only heave a melancholy sigh as he picked up a piece from his own small pan and stared at the strings of cheese clinging to the slice. What was it with pizza that she was so _obsessed_ with it?

They continued to eat in silence for a couple of more minutes before Lelouch found the balls to voice the question that had been plaguing him today. And unfortunately for him, only _she_ held the answer. Swallowing the water he had downed along with the pizza, he coughed, and said:

"What'd he write you this time?"

He watched her eyes narrow suspiciously at him, and for a moment, Lelouch wondered if she suspected him somehow. Because if she did, he knew she was right. Nevertheless, C.C. didn't really utter a complaint and simply flicked a folded piece of yellow construction paper towards his side of the table. He stared down at the familiar piece of paper he had slipped into her desk partition earlier today, and although he knew by heart what he had written down, he still picked it up and read it for the sake of his facade (his foolish facade, if you asked someone else).

_Are you craving pizza?_

_Because I'd love to get a pizz-a you…_

_~ Your S.A._

Lelouch blinked at the sight of his own handwriting, even when he already knew he had written it earlier today when she had still been knocked out cold in his bedroom. Staring at his own handwriting like this, it still felt surreal sometimes — as if another him had stepped in and written it down. He couldn't help but wrinkle his own nose at his ridiculousness with these secret letters he kept sending her. And he still didn't know _exactly_ what she thought about them. Well, she made it clear last night that she didn't hate them. So that was a start…

"Even _you_ can't deny how cheesy he is." C.C. snorted, and he looked up to see the amused glint that was ever present in her eyes whenever he conversed with her.

He supposed her amusement was enough for now… She had never been an easy puzzle to solve straight from the get-go anyways.

vVvVv

Two hands occupied with boutique bags, Shirley stepped out of the last store for today. School had been stressful lately, and there were times when a girl just _had_ to splurge. And besides, a little shopping trip — especially when she had money to spare — never hurt anyone. Besides, what girl didn't enjoy a therapeutic shopping session once in a while?

Earlier in the afternoon, she had subconsciously navigated to her phone's dialing screen countless times, debating over whether she should call Lelouch to come with her or spare him the agony of shopping trips.

Because boys weren't really into shopping girly dresses, were they?

Well, she'd gone grocery shopping with him before, and those made for incredibly sweet moments, but clothes shopping was right up a different alley. By all means, they probably should have, considering how they've been dating for a _year_ now. But who's to say she won't kill him of boredom.

At the thought of Lelouch frowning, Shirley's lips turned down just the tiniest bit. No, she wouldn't do that to him. She hated to disappoint him in anyway — even if it was over something as trivial as shopping for clothes.

Still, it would have been nice to have his company…

Passing by a department store, she caught sight of a sign that blatantly advertised a fifty percent off on several selected items. She had resolved to make her last trip for today, but poking around for some lovely discounted items couldn't hurt. It would be a shame to pass it up.

And so she browsed through the women's clothing section, darting from racks of dresses and gorgeous limited edition blouses to end up in the women's accessories segment. She inspected each gorgeous bracelet proudly displayed on a glass shelf, and looked up to face the mirror only to feel her heart drop unceremoniously to the pit of her stomach.

Because… Because…

Because he was here with his best friend.

Clumsily dropping the bracelet she had been scrutinizing, she hurriedly hid herself behind a tall shelf stacked high with neatly pressed and folded ladies' shirts. Peeking out ever so carefully, she watched as he grumbled and complained — complete with his characteristically heavy gesticulations. C.C. was ignoring him as she kept browsing through rows of neatly arranged scarves.

For a moment, she sighed with relief upon realization that she had been right to not bring him along. Because from the way he was ragging at C.C., it looked like he wasn't enjoying things. But that slight turn for victory quickly turned over on its head when she noticed the way he was looking at the other girl. He reached out and gently moved C.C.'s hair that had been getting in the way of properly winding the scarf around her. Her own eyes zeroed in on his hands (the hands that had wrapped around hers reassuringly; the very same ones that always tenderly touched her) that were busy rearranging the garment around C.C.'s neck so it fit snugly.

Smiling, the green-haired girl turned to stare at him, and Shirley assumed she was asking for his opinion. She never got to hear his reply because the two were too far from her proper hearing distance, but she could see his lip movement before his mouth unfurled into a smile — a smile she hadn't seen him _wear_ before. It was… It was heartbreaking — how much she noticed tiny details like that. It shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of their relationship, right?

Lelouch smiled at her plenty of times too. And he would kiss her lips or her cheek chastely right after — with so much respect and love.

But that lovely imagery immediately shattered as she watched _her boyfriend_ tuck stray locks of C.C.'s hair behind her ear. He cupped C.C.'s cheek, and for a split second, she was _devastated_ that perhaps she was about to witness the sight of him _royally_ cheating on her. But the kiss she had expected them to share never came. He only rubbed his thumb briefly across the other girl's cheek before stepping away.

C.C. was saying something to him now and he was shaking his head. Yet Shirley didn't miss the way he immediately reached for her hand and twined their fingers together before pulling the green-haired girl away from the collection of scarves.

Collapsing against a nearby ottoman, Shirley hadn't realized she'd been holding a tightly clenched fist to her pounding heart.

The way he looked at her… It was so… So surreal. Far too incomprehensible, that she — for all her love of romance — couldn't even put a finger to how Lelouch had gazed upon his best friend when C.C. hadn't been paying attention. It was the look a man in love would give to a woman he treasured.

But that couldn't be right, could it? Lelouch was in a relationship with _her_.

But oh, who was she fooling?

Despite her flaws, Shirley was observant — and very much so when it came to the people she cared about. And the heavens knew how much she _cared_ about Lelouch. She thought he cared about her romantically too… Was even drunk on the prospect of him uttering those three precious words to her one day, during a date, under the full moonlight. And he'd dance with her, dip her low, and indulge her with a kiss worthy of fairytales.

But it was all just a dream…

And it would remain as such. There was no denying that now. She hadn't even realized she'd left her seat to follow them as they kept browsing through the store. And staring at Lelouch and how he chided the other girl, how he put his hand at the small of her back to guide her, and how he did all these little things for C.C. that communicated so _much affection_ , she could feel her world slowly crumble into dust.

She'd lost her chance at a happy ever after with him, hadn't she?

Not that she had one in the first place _with C.C._ around…

But she couldn't blame them. Everyone who knew the two of them knew that they had been the closest of companions since _forever_. And even if C.C. _did_ have a secret admirer now, who's to say that Lelouch wouldn't jump at the chance to woo his best friend if Shirley finally decided to cut him free of her?

To think that she was the unwanted one… The baggage in what could possibly be a beautiful relationship.

But a part of her still dared to hope; was subconsciously grasping at straws with a plea for _one last chance_ to convince him and make him see that just _maybe_ he belonged with her.

Yet it still didn't change the fact that it hurt…

Fumbling, she sloppily gathered her things and walked away; taking her withering heart and her falling tears with her as she left them behind in their obliviousness.


	9. The Right Keeper

" _Lelouch, can I see you at dinner? We can talk over some plans. Just call me back when you hear this…"_

The voice message she'd left for him playing on loop was a source of comfort to no one — particularly to Shirley. He still hadn't called her back, and she had sent him the voice mail an _hour_ ago. With every minute that passed by, her anxiety grew. And whenever she remembered _why_ she was calling to see him in the first place, the tears would spill from her eyes. She'd tried distracting herself with all manner of school work to no avail.

Her worries were only alleviated when her customized ringtone for him filled the silence of her bedroom. Trembling, her fingers kept slipping across the screen before she managed to swipe it in the correct direction.

" _What's up Shirley?_ "

His tone was mild like it always was. She wondered why she never bothered to take note of it before. But perhaps now that she wasn't deluding herself with fantasies, things were coming to her clearer. That or she was just paranoid. And she still hoped for the latter.

"Lelouch." She tried so hard to be cheerful, but her own emotions were betraying her. "I want to see you."

" _Right now?"_

He probably didn't mean it. But his tone said it all. He couldn't come to her _right now._ Maybe it was stretching it a bit, but if she were C.C., Shirley was willing to bet Lelouch wouldn't be shrugging her off just like that. Had he ever spoken to her like that in the past year? Shirley couldn't remember. But if he had, she had been quick to forgive him for sure — so blinded by her overwhelming devotion to her boyfriend.

She pushed the hurt feelings away, focusing instead on the matter at hand. If they were going to be like this, then maybe she was making the right choice to talk things over and decide what was best.

"Not really. But a date over afternoon snacks would be great."

" _Of course."_ Was the automatic response. There were a few seconds of silence where the background noise was audible. There was a lot barking and people talking. Was he at an animal shelter? " _Is 4PM okay? I've got classes in half an hour._ "

"That's fine." She opened her mouth to say something affectionate, but caught herself and said, "I'll see you, Lulu," instead.

vVvVv

Checking his wristwatch for the umpteenth time since he decided to pay the local animal shelter a visit, Lelouch sat stiffly in one of the waiting room plastic chairs. He was wrought with two different nerves. One was excitement, the other was worry because he just might be late to class.

But _whatever_ … He was more eager to bring his new girl home. (Well, not to his apartment per se. More like she was C.C.'s new baby).

He'd finished the paperwork, had paid the adoption fees, and now he was only waiting for one of the animal shelter personnel to come out of the clinic with the pet medical records and the lovely puppy he knew his best friend would be absolutely thrilled to meet. And right as if his thoughts had summoned her and her handlers, a smiling woman waved him over as she placed papers on the front desk and an animal carrier on the ground.

Finishing up transactions and after thanking the wonderful people who worked at the shelter, he brought the carrier to his car and let the object settle in the passenger seat first before opening the little door carefully and acting out of reflex just in time to catch the excited puppy before she fell onto the car floor.

The furry little baby with her tiny pointy ears, gorgeous white fur, and delicate pink nose wagged her tail cheerily as her new human tenderly fed her puppy treats from his own hand.

She was a a hyper and squirmy little thing just shy of three months. It was hard to picture her as the sad puppy the shelter had rescued off the street. She had had a sprained hip then and had been screaming in pain when they had treated her and officially put her up for adoption. At least, that's what the woman at the animal shelter told him when he had laid eyes on the beautiful dog for the first time.

She had been shy and mostly introverted, they told him. But it hadn't felt that way when he had crouched before her and offered out his knuckles for her to sniff for the first time. She had exuberantly licked his fingers then, just as she was doing now.

"I know you're excited. I am too."

He smiled; all the while, ignoring the glowing numbers on his dashboard that officially signaled he was late for class. He would have panicked, but then again, what was another absent mark in his already soiled attendance records? He'd been skipping classes — particularly PhysEd — since high school. University wasn't any different.

The puppy behaved long enough for him to secure her back into her carrier.

"I'm taking you to your new home, okay?"

With her tail wagging in the confines of her comfortable yet temporary place, she watched her new human do silly things. And though she may have been curious to find out what exactly was with that pretty little toy he kept one of his hands on, movement began happening beneath her, lulling her to sleep and letting her dream of chasing crickets through a broad open field.

vVvVv

C.C. was ready to come bursting through her apartment from the moment she had arrived. But the sight of a couple of slips of paper poking out the mailbox was enough to prompt her to pause.

She received no letters in school today. And though she tried hard to suppress it, she won't deny that she felt sort of disappointed if the admirer broke his series of notes today. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? Four days of sending letters, and she was already going so far as to think that her day would be incomplete without opening one.

When Lelouch insisted that she was liking the gifts, she had pressed that she didn't really. But perhaps Lelouch had caught on that she had been lying, and he let her keep face.

So, she plucked the pieces of paper from their confinements. Two were promotional messages from Pizza Hut. The other was _exactly_ what she needed to see today.

_If I followed you home,_

_Would you keep me?_

_~Your S.A._

Brows furrowed in confusion, C.C. stepped through her threshold, still confused over what that letter had meant. If anything, it sounded kind of… stalker-ish. She hadn't given the letter showing up in her mailbox a second thought because Lelouch and the secret admirer were obviously in cahoots with one another, so it was easy to deduce that her best friend had served as the courier of the message today — or at least she hoped.

"Eep!"

Startled, C.C. jumped as yapping filled the house.

Was that—

Dumping her things on the comfy couch, C.C. got down on all fours and peered at the darkness underneath the furniture to see two little eyes peering at her in the gloom. An arm stretched out towards the puppy, and the fur ball sniffed her dainty fingers. C.C. giggled heartily when she felt the puppy's rough tongue lick her fingers thoroughly. When she managed to coax the tiny animal out, she couldn't help but coo at her (it was a _her_ ) and admire her pristine fur even more.

"Did he bring you to me?" She smiled, as she cradled the puppy to her chest, bringing her new fur baby with her into the kitchen.

A part of C.C. wondered if Lelouch decided to deliver the puppy to her home at the behest of the mystery man, or did her best friend do it of his own volition. Because the latter would be surprising.

The puppy's squirming and yapping drew C.C. out of her own thoughts only to find that in the once empty corner of her humble kitchen lay a sack filled with puppy treats. There were also cans of chicken liver and beef kibble stacked on the counter. Well, Lelouch and the admirer sure went the extra mile to settle the new pet comfortably in her home. Turning her eyes to the puppy wagging her tail excitedly in C.C.'s arms, she stared into the dog's intelligent eyes, and concluded that this was the best gift her admirer had gotten her so far. It was thoughtful of him to give her a furry companion.

A wet nose nudged her hand and C.C. carefully laid a gentle kiss at the top of her snowy head. One look into her new baby's wide brown eyes, made C.C. realize that the mystery man was slowly growing on her. For though she hated to admit it most of the time, she would begrudgingly acknowledge that his gifts so far left impressions on her heart. From the flowers to the pizza coupons, and now _this_.

Well, it proved he was consistent at least… Perhaps even determined to see it through to the end.

_Would he be as tender as he is when I would finally meet him?_

Smiling and shaking her head to rid thoughts of this intriguing man, she turned to the puppy and gave her a smile unbecoming of a witch.

"Now, just _what_ do we name you?"

vVvVv

He was gentlemanly as always…

He was also actively holding a conversation with her; telling her stories, expressing his opinions, ordering for her, offering to pay.

Once upon a time, those princely gestures were enough to sweep her off her feet. They were enough to make her preen. She _delighted_ in the fact that this wild heart — who was really just a wonderfully silly man underneath — was tamed by her and her alone. That this infamous heart breaker was all hers to keep.

How lucky that girl was…

But that had been long ago…

That had been before reality cruelly slapped her and woke her up. And for the first time in _years_ of swooning and writing secret love letters to the one and only Lelouch Lamperouge-vi Britannia, she was seeing his act for what it really was. Like a veil lifting off her eyes, she found herself watching him in an all new light.

He was still the Prince Charming she had always seen him as. But was it safe to say that it was a front? Because his hold on her hand was loose; not firm or secure. His smile — though bright and impossibly handsome, did not reach his eyes. And his chattiness felt more like it was borne out of requirement rather than an actual desire. It was all a _stupid_ act.

Come to think of it. Had that act always been in place?

Was he ever honest with her throughout the entire duration of their relationship?

Or had she been lying to herself all this time? Oblivious to Lelouch's _true_ feelings; blinded and deafened by the fantasy realm _she_ had created.

But— But she _had_ to believe that at least _some_ part of their relationship had been _genuine_ , right? Otherwise, that would have made the past year completely and utterly senseless — a waste of time.

The very thought of it all tightened her throat and summoned brimming tears to the corner of her eyes.

"Shirley, their cheesecakes look good, would you—"

He stopped whatever he was about to say as she shook her head, 'no.' He must be confused, with the way he suddenly went quiet. Biting her lip in trepidation, Shirley slowly peered up at him through her fringe of ginger hair, and almost lost her nerve. Because he was looking _straight_ at her, hyper-focused. All source of amusement was gone from his expression, and his mouth was set in a hard and grim line.

"What's wrong, Shirley?"

Was it her or did his voice just waver? Heaving a deep breath, and face flushing incredibly red, her hands clenched into tight fists. She flung her next words at him, like ripping off a band-aid as if it would alleviate the sting.

"Do you love me more than— her?" She choked on the last word, unable to even utter her rival's name.

He kept his mouth shut. And that silence hurt more than any words he would think to say next. Because silence spoke _volumes_ , and although a part of Shirley was anticipating Lelouch's _obvious_ answer, it still didn't change the fact that his rejection hurt and wounded her deeply.

"No." The corners of his mouth tilted downwards ever so slightly. "No, I don't." Those lovely violets reflected sadness for a good while, before his expression hardened.

The stoic mask he had donned didn't help matters. There was no trace of the cheery boyfriend she had conversed with minutes ago. It was like watching someone flip a switch. Was he _always_ like this?

She had been chewing on her lip hard enough to draw blood, but the sting was a welcome distraction from the greater pain that was slowly tearing her heart and every dream she had ever had of them apart.

"Was— Was there ever a moment when— when it had b-been real, L-Lulu? Did you ever love me?" She beseeched with a shaky voice. "Because I loved _you_."

She didn't see his mask break; didn't see it give way to the face of a man who was wallowing in regret — for prolonging someone's suffering, and for drowning in the consequence of his own cowardice. But after what had just been torn, how could he expect her to look at him with a straight face again? There were tears dripping on to the surface of their table. It would have been kind to reach out and wipe her tears; but in a situation like this, it was kinder to let her weep. Any gesture he would muster could only be perceived as cruel after he had rejected her anyway.

"What does she have that I don't?" Her knuckles strained so much they were turning white. "And if you— If you _wanted her_ in the f-first place, why would you use _me_?" She was facing him now, green eyes wide and brimming with tears. "How could you?"

For a moment, he could only stare — could only gauge the image of her and her blotched face. The usual eloquence he used to effortlessly summon fell prey to the guilt that had been slowly consuming him over the course of the week.

"Lulu, please." She whimpered helplessly, silently begging him to say something — _anything_ that would make this separation just a tiny bit easier.

"I wronged you. And I…" He swallowed thickly, and focused on his clasped hands in shame. "I know I hurt you, Shirley. And while words are poor compensation for the damage that has been done, I still want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm a terrible person — for putting you through what I did. For what it's worth, I believe that what we had was real to a certain degree."

_To a certain degree?_

What did he even _mean?_ And why was it so hard to breathe now? It felt like two great weights pressed against either side of her chest, slowly squeezing tighter and tighter until she was all but moments away from suffocating. It just _wasn't_ fair! It wasn't!

What had she ever done to deserve something like this? What sin had she committed for earning this kind of punishment? Her only wish was to _find love_ in the man that she—

"I don't understand. I—"

"Shirley… I don't deserve you. I'm not meant for you. You deserve someone who sees you for who you really are; who would love _you_. You don't deserve some confused guy who's never understood himself, until one day clarity dawned and he realized he was in love with someone else after all. You make people happy, Shirley. So, you deserve someone who could make you smile endlessly. Not leave you in tears like I did."

But she _didn't_ want someone else. She wanted _Lelouch._ It had been a treasured dream since she first laid eyes on him — to be his woman someday. But from the beginning, C.C. was always in the picture. And even when she and Lelouch dated, C.C. never left at all.

"Lu-Lulu. It's not fair! I want _you_. I won't settle for someone else when it's always been _you_. She doesn't even _like_ you. If she _wanted you,_ you and her would have been dating already! Have you ever thought about that? You love someone who doesn't _love you back!_ "

His guilt-ridden eyes hardened into flinty chips of amethyst as he watched her sob and gaze at him with eyes that were desperately pleading for his acceptance. But what she said— what she had just uttered… He could understand being hurt over rejection. But to make false assumptions about other people's relationships— It rubbed him the wrong way.

But what if she was right? He was secretly posing as his best friend's admirer, but C.C.'s reaction at the end of the rope was something else waiting to be seen. The probability that his best friend would never return his feelings was— It was—

"But _I do!_ I love you."

At her last words, Lelouch only stared at their clasped hands, not even wincing underneath the force of Shirley's grip. Her grief was too palpable — far too _raw_ ; each accusation flying from her mouth, carried on the wings of sorrow and _rage_. A part of him understood why she was saying these things. He knew that if the situations were reversed, he wouldn't have been any better, but—

"Shirley, do you love me for me?" He spoke quietly, mindful of the other guests in the cafe even if they were seated in a corner booth. "Or do you love the idea of _being_ _with_ me?"

He watched her eyes widen a fraction, before her indignance won and she sloppily yet promptly gathered her bag after she had forcibly torn her hand from his grasp. Delicately dabbing her reddening nose with tissues, she only bid him a brief and quiet goodbye. He didn't even see her go as he stared at the surface of the table and his congealing cup of caramel coffee.

The only sound of her departure, the tell tale ringing of the bell strung high above the shop's front door.

vVvVv

" _Why won't you just ask out C.C.?"_

_Lelouch groaned and just barely kept himself from face-planting straight into the open book he had been reading. Instead, he turned to face his closest male companion to see the brunet staring off into space with his chin cradled in his palm._

" _And we are discussing this again because…" Lelouch trailed off, having half a mind to stomp on Suzaku's foot just to see him yowl in pain because of him for once. If they weren't in the library, he probably would have done it already._

" _She likes you." At this, Suzaku turned to see Lelouch's expression turn sour. "I spoke to her today. And she likes you."_

_Raising a delicate eyebrow, Lelouch bookmarked the page before closing the book — knowing this conversation was going to lengthen (or not, depending on how things turned out)._

" _And C.C. explicitly told you this?"_

" _No. In fact, she's saying the same things as you are. But it's easy to see." Suzaku sighed deeply. "Just date her, Lelouch."_

_Indignance flared to life within him, and pretty violet eyes filled with annoyance darted to Suzaku and his nonchalant posture._

_The brunet opted for pretending_ not _to notice Lelouch's scowling features and prattled on. "Lelouch, we both know Shirley isn't your type. You're only with her and agreed to date her because she seems stable; not to mention the fact that_ she _asked_ you _out. Hardly any effort on your part. Plus, you being with her keeps the other girls off your back."_

_Those purple steely eyes never wavered. "Those are strong accusations, Suzaku."_

_Suzaku just shrugged. "Sure. But I don't hear you_ denying _it. I may or may not be wrong, but I just think you're afraid to actually ask C.C. out. She's smart, she's not too hard in the eyes, and she can be quite intimidating. Plus, are you_ really _buying into the bullshit she keeps spouting about not caring about what guys think and stuff?"_

 _Lelouch just sighed… Suzaku — and other people, for that matter —_ really _needed to get over him suddenly choosing to date someone that_ wasn't _green-haired and obsessed with stupid pizza. What was up with the fascination for his life and C.C.'s anyway?_

" _Suzaku, let it go. I'm happy with Shirley, and that's that."_

_He and C.C. were best friends… And that would never change._


	10. Their Own Little Secrets

_Earlier Today…_

_If there was one thing C.C. hated the most about Friday, it would be the straight no-breaks-in-between classes. And to make matters worse, she had even forgotten to pack her resources for the next class before she'd gone to third period after lunch. She wasn't worried about a tardy record, per se; but the detours were_ pesky _— just nuances on what could have been a quick one-way trip._

_Still grumbling about her own carelessness, C.C. barely registered people's heads in the hallway turning towards her, nor properly hear the voice calling her name until five seconds into walking._

" _C.C. wait up!"_

_Recognizing the voice, she turned curiously to see Gino Weinberg jogging to catch up with her. He earned the attention of a couple of students for a bit, before everyone returned to minding their own business. He flashed her a cheery smile as he stopped before her, barely breaking out a sweat._

" _You walk fast." He gasped, melodramatically trying to catch his breath._

_It was an act that made C.C. roll her pretty eyes, and simultaneously fail at hiding her amusement. She'd been acquainted to Gino before. A year younger, and in the same college department as her, the chances for conversation were fair at best. But when he wasn't training so hard as a University varsity player, he was slaving away in his academics._

_Gino worked hard, and some would even say that he was a model student; quite a far cry from Lelouch who notoriously ditched class, and never took an interest in anything related to physical athleticism._

" _What did you want, Gino?" She asked curiously, silently taking note of his smile — a cross between cocky and slightly shy._

_Rubbing the back of his neck gingerly, his voice quieted a bit as he said his next words. "I'm throwing an exclusive party — pre-victory celebration and all that."_

Oh right, they have a game upcoming this season, don't they?

" _And that's going to bring good fortune?" She shifted her books from one arm to the other._

_Gino just shrugged, and grinned at her cheekily. "Hope so. Either way it'll be fun. Can you come?"_

_The blue eyes, the blond hair, the fit stature, the oozing boyish charm. If C.C. were any other girl, she probably would have fawned over Gino Weinberg already. The class A attributes ensured he would have a gaggle of fan girls; a gaggle — might she add — that could rival the group circling around Lelouch._

" _It's tomorrow night." He added hastily before she could ask when._

" _I'll see what I can do."_

" _Suzaku's going to be there. Oh, and Lelouch is invited too. Would've told him myself, but—" He chuckled. "—it's hard to find the right people on campus. And I don't have his number, so—"_

" _Yeah, I'll let him know."_

_She was ready to turn away, and bid him a 'see you later,' but he stopped her again when he called for her a second time. How fortunate he was that C.C. was in a good mood; otherwise, she would have graced him with a dreadfully bored stare._

" _Do you need my number? To confirm attendance and stuff." He held a smartphone between his hands, blue eyes wide and slightly pleading._

_C.C. shrugged and outstretched a hand. Gino smiled as he deposited his phone into her grasp and he watched her dainty fingers fly across the screen._

_She was such a peculiar woman, C.C. One minute accommodating, and cold as a block of ice the next. In all complete honesty, Gino had_ had _reservations about asking C.C. to come to his party, because she very well might say 'no' outright and royally_ embarrass _him. Plus, he'd never really held deep and long conversations with her before. It was always just a quick fifteen-minute hi-what's-up._

_But things were about to change, and this was the first step…_

_He didn't know C.C. yet, but he wanted to. He didn't harbor deep and intimate feelings for her yet, but he_ did _like her —_ wanted _to get to know her._ _So was he attracted to her? Well, of course he was. Any dude with eyes could appreciate her ethereal beauty. It was all just a matter of being brave enough to_ actually _approach her._

_C.C. was pretty guarded all by herself already — not including the University Student Council Vice President's protectiveness over his best friend. Lelouch and C.C. were two interesting little peas in a pod — always so over protective of each other — and even Gino would concede to admitting that and appreciating that bond._

" _Give me a missed call, and that's that." Her smile was vicious, but pretty._

_Handing his phone back, he smiled gratefully at her and at the numbers displayed boldly in front of him._

" _Yes, ma'am." He mocked a military salute, flashing his trademark toothy smile that usually had all the ladies swooning._

_But since she was C.C., she only responded with the perfect womanly coy smile that drove men to confusion, and only bade him a nonchalant goodbye with a wave. Although, unbeknownst to her, he had stayed long enough to watch her retreating back disappear around a corridor before he too left to tend to his own business._

vVvVv

" _It's not fair! I want_ you _!"_

" _She doesn't even_ like _you._ _If she_ wanted you _, you and her would have been dating already!"_

" _You love someone who_ doesn't love you back _!"_

Her words stung, and he only knew that it was so because her words, no matter how outlandish they were, held a degree of truth. Shirley was right… And Suzaku had _been_ right to point it out to him before. He had only settled with Shirley because she was the convenient choice back then — easy, already head-over-heels in-love, requiring no form of effort whatsoever. But now he was paying the price for his rash choices with more than the average person's fair share of guilt.

He wasn't just hurting Shirley. He would probably hurt himself and _C.C._ in the long run too…

If C.C. would reject him in the end, then all the effort he had poured out to make his feelings known would be void. Useless. And what would _he_ do? But he couldn't let himself think that — shouldn't even be considering it as a possibility or create a Plan B. Because the moment that he would fully acknowledge C.C.'s rejection, it could very well manifest for real (because the mysteries of the universe always had a way to fuck with him and his anxieties).

Plus, he had a _bigger_ mess to sort out too. And that mess was called 'Shirley.' Their issues were _far_ from over. And while he knew he had to find a resolution where they could all compromise and _heal_ from their wounds, he also knew he wouldn't be doing it tomorrow. Or the next week. His ex needed time, and probably a lot of it.

Exhausted and disappointed with himself, the disgruntled young man heaved a heavy sigh and pressed his forehead against his best friend's front door. The wood was vibrating thanks to the puppy's yapping, and it hummed against his skull, making his head throb even more.

Great. Just great.

He and C.C. had agreed to study tonight in preparation for their own departmental exams happening in a couple of weeks. But Lelouch didn't think he was in the right state of mind to be dealing with any mathematical equations required by his major some time soon. And to think that _he_ had been the one who had _insisted_ on this.

For once, he just wanted to sleep and disappear. To just _forget_ if even for a few _blissful_ hours that he was in more than _one_ kind of trouble.

Still, problems were problems; and they wouldn't go away just because he pretended they didn't exist. He could deal with them later, but for now…

Sighing one more time and plastering a smile on to his comely face, Lelouch entered through the front door and was greeted with the heartwarming sight of C.C.'s new puppy and C.C. herself who was kneeling on the floor as they played a game of object cat-and-mouse. The wholesome picture reminded him of Nunnally and her Siamese pet, Missy, giggling and teasing the feline with a cat wand back at home.

"Look who came in, Mirage." C.C. cooed. "It's your Dada." The mischievous woman snickered as she pushed the happy puppy gently towards Lelouch's direction.

Mirage, noticing the familiar human standing in front of the front door, immediately bounded up to him in her four tiny legs and started nipping at the laces of his neatly tied up shoes. Lelouch glanced at the rambunctious puppy before cocking an eyebrow at C.C.'s ridiculous claims.

"Her Dada?"

"Well, the foster dad at least." C.C. stood up, stifling a laugh at the _disdain_ that was so evident in his voice while she brushed off nonexistent dust from her knees. "Since the secret admirer's her real daddy."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes at C.C. as she approached. "You haven't even met him."

"So? He gave her to me. Of course he has the honor of being Mirage's adopted daddy." She cooed, stooping down to pick up the hyper puppy who had moved on from chewing Lelouch's laces to playing wrestling with the fluffy door mat.

He smiled as C.C. cradled her new pet. Well, at the very least, he now knew C.C. loved his thoughtful gift for sure.

"You dropped her off here, didn't you?" She asked her friend who was already making a beeline for her bedroom where they had planned to study in privacy. She trailed behind Lelouch, graciously letting Mirage tug away at the sleeves of her sweater for as long as she wanted.

"I did. Also brought his letter. Did you get it?" He was asking as he opened her bedroom door and made himself at home.

"Yup, and it's cheesy as always." C.C. snickered behind a free hand as she lowered the puppy to the floor and closed her bedroom door.

There was a bit of silence, only interrupted by the sound of Lelouch digging through his messenger bag and hoisting out thick textbook after textbook — some of it his own, and the others, he borrowed from the University library. He was stacking them up against her night stand when she decided to sit across from him on the floor.

Something was eating away at his thoughts; plus, his mood was sullen even when he tried to conceal it underneath a mask of cool indifference. She'd never actually considered it deeply before, but ten years of knowing him had gifted her with a sixth sense for her best friend's troubled feelings. It was queer, and it was _downright_ inexplicable, but that's what it was. She knew the man like the back of her own hand; knew him as if he was just another extension of her physical body; knew him well enough to call him out on his bullshit.

"Lelouch, what happened?"

He stopped digging through his bag for other school items, and just sighed.

"That obvious, huh?" For a moment, that familiar smirk crept into his lips. But it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"To other people, no. To me, yes." Mirage nudged her legs with her wet nose, and C.C. automatically scooped up the puppy so the fur ball could snuggle into her lap.

"We broke it off."

_They what?_

C.C. blinked, assuming she was hearing things. But his apathetic voice and his passive face was enough to confirm that he was telling the truth. But _why_? Weren't they happy with one another? Why the sudden change of heart just a week after the jubilant first anniversary celebration? And who broke up with _who_?

Oh, she was just _teeming_ with questions. And she voiced each of them at such a rapid rate that Lelouch just smiled sadly and shook his head, clasping his fingers together as he stared at Mirage who was staring back at him from the confines of C.C.'s crossed legs with her wagging tail and her lolling tongue.

Just thinking about every reason he had had for ending his relationship with Shirley was enough to trigger another bout of a headache. But what was he supposed to tell C.C.? That he and Shirley split because of _her_? That didn't sound very ideal nor could he imagine his best friend being ecstatic over something like that. C.C. was many things, but she wasn't sadistic (well, maybe only when it came to him), but not in situations like this.

"I don't even know where to start."

"The beginning would be nice."

He looked up to see her flash him a vicious smile. He would have wondered why, but he knew it was because he wasn't the only one who invested time and effort in his and Shirley's relationship. C.C. had contributed plenty to help him and the redhead move along together and live happily. And come to think of it, C.C. _was_ one of the people who encouraged him to _accept_ Shirley's proposition.

He owed C.C. an explanation, and he really _did_ want to tell her. She _always_ understood — was always upfront and never sugar-coated facts for the sake of his feelings.

There was a yap and Mirage clumsily climbed out of C.C.'s protective hold as she crossed the distance between Lelouch and C.C. The puppy burrowed her way underneath Lelouch's bent knee so she could climb up into his lap instead. He began stroking the pristine white and fluffy fur, and recalled the story of how he and Shirley realized they had individual issues they needed to resolve, and how they couldn't do that while they were in a relationship.

It was a mutual decision, he said. And C.C. listened to his every word as if her own life depended on it. When Lelouch shut his mouth again and was merely reduced to scratching Mirage behind her white ears, C.C. cradled her chin in the palm of her hand and watched her best friend closely.

"What exactly are _your_ issues, Lelouch?"

At this, Lelouch peeked up at her through his fringe of dark hair. He couldn't tell her… Well, not yet anyways. He couldn't admit that he broke things off with Shirley because he wanted to be with someone else. He _could_ break the news _now_ , of course, but he wanted to finish what he'd started. He still had two notes to write, and a grand reveal happening on Monday.

"I can't talk about it right now. I promise I'll tell you." He sighed deeply. "Just not now."

C.C. looked unconvinced, but he knew she wouldn't pry when he absolutely didn't want to talk about something. Otherwise, they could both end up having an argument as large as the one they had when they were _twelve_. _That_ had ended in a _brawl_. C.C., for one, didn't want a repeat of that incident. She and Lelouch were sequestered in the school clinic _far away_ from each other, one nursing a nasty scratch on the cheek, the other trying to alleviate pain from a bruise on the arm.

"Say, are you up for a party tomorrow night?"

Lelouch looked up suddenly, slightly taken aback at the sudden change of the mood. C.C. was scrolling through her phone, and he blinked once…twice…

"Party?"

"Mhmm." She hummed absentmindedly before tossing her phone off to the side to refocus on Lelouch. "Gino's throwing. You know him, don't you?"

Lelouch kept stroking Mirage's fur, the puppy having already been lulled to sleep, as he thought about Gino and idly wondered if he'd met the guy before. The name was _strikingly_ familiar. But then again, _lots_ of names were familiar to Lelouch. He should know; he could stare at hundreds of names printed on a list during a University Student Council meeting with Milly and the others.

"Isn't he a University varsity player?" It finally clicked and he stared at his best friend expectantly.

"Yeah. Pre-game pre-victory party and all that." C.C. yawned behind her hand; so nonchalant while Lelouch's own thoughts were slowly going into overdrive.

"How much of the school's invited?" He questioned; knowing full well that athletes in the University were notorious for throwing house parties that _literally_ welcomed _everybody_.

"Mm. He said it was exclusive." C.C. was now leafing through her own notes, searching for something.

"And _he_ invited _you_. For _what_ reason?"

C.C. looked up from her notes to see Lelouch _seething_. He was trying to hide it, of course, but he wasn't doing it good enough apparently. The feathered muscle at his jaw was the _dead_ giveaway. Though _why_ he was acting this way, she didn't really know. But it wasn't far-fetched to assume that he was over thinking situations again. Ever the worrywart. She only tittered and returned to her notes.

"Is that _contempt_ I hear?"

The crooned question caught Lelouch's wandering attention, and he snapped back to alert after immediately realizing that C.C. was seeing what he was trying to hide. Was it _that_ obvious?

She sighed. "Chill, Lelouch. He's in the same college as me and I've spoken to him once or twice, I think. He _did_ invite you too, you know. Just didn't know how to get a hold of you."

"And you believe him?" His usually lively violet eyes were dull, and his tone was deadpan. C.C. wasn't honestly buying into Weinberg's _bullcrap_ right? Or maybe he was just reading _too much_ into this again.

"I don't care."

He heaved an exasperated sigh. "Invited me as your tag-a-long probably. I bet he _knows_ you don't go anywhere without me."

"Conceited much? You're not my entire life, you know. No matter _how_ important you are." She childishly stuck her tongue out at him, which he ignored for the time being.

"I'm putting my money on the table and just make the claim that he's going to try and make a move on you if we go to his party." Lelouch folded his arms across his chest and grumbled under his breath — looking like a whiny child who had just been refused the heavenly jar of cookies stowed away in the kitchen cabinets.

C.C. laughed at his outlandish claims, and shrugged it off as his characteristic possessiveness. "Who knows? But I figured, since you're not so _keen_ on sharing who—" She waved the latest love note in front of his face. "— this corny admirer is, I'm taking this chance to do some investigating."

Lelouch sputtered indignantly, startling the sleeping puppy in his lap. Mirage, having had enough of the noise and excitement for one night, simply left his warm body and settled for making herself comfortable underneath C.C.'s bed.

"You can't do _that_. That's cheating!"

"I wasn't aware that this was actually a game. And you treat _everything_ like one, don't you?"

"That's—"

"Do you want to go, or not?" C.C. cocked an eyebrow, and when she didn't receive an answer, she closed the distance between them and made herself comfortable next to him on the floor.

Lelouch could only sigh, knowing full well that he couldn't deny her anything if she _truly_ asked. "Do you _really_ want to go?"

"I go if _you_ go."

That wasn't a confusing answer at all… But whatever.

"Fine…"

"Look at it this way. At least you can forget for a moment that you're _disgustingly_ single again. The ladies would be _thrilled_."

Lelouch groaned and mumbled something about only having eyes for _one_ particular woman in his life. Seeing that he was murmuring to himself in that strange way _again,_ C.C. sharply elbowed his side. He yelped and rubbed his assaulted ribs gently.

"What was that?"

"Never you mind." He muttered grumpily.

C.C. cast a strange glance his way before she shrugged and stifled another yawn. Another comfortable silence came between them, but this time around, C.C. broke it with the words that Lelouch least expected her to say after a conversation like the one they just had.

"Lelouch, when you're ready to talk, you'll come to me, won't you?"

Understanding what she was saying, his lips twitched upwards at the corners. "There's no one else I'd turn to."

They shared a smile; both inwardly recognizing that those were the only words that needed to be said.

She reached up, wound an arm around him, and gently coaxed his head towards her shoulder. He didn't protest. Judging from the way his body immediately seemed to sag, C.C. secretly relished the fact that he relaxed against her — all trace of tension shedding like a second skin. She smiled against his hair and slowly began to massage his scalp with the tips of her fingers.

Her best friend…

However was she to love this secret admirer one day when her heart already belonged to the beautiful man she had in her arms?

But her Warlock was off-limits, wasn't he? His own heart belonged to someone else, and it was probably pining for its other half even in the midst of their conflict. And even though she was always one for making sure that he was happy and content, the Witch couldn't ignore the slight sting in her heart at the thought of never having her _true_ feelings returned.


	11. The Party (part 1)

" _For someone so smart, this has to be your stupidest decision yet."_

_C.C. bit her lip, staring up into half-lidded violets clouded with hazy lust. He only smirked, knowing C.C. was right. But he felt like being reckless, and he didn't want to stop._

" _Need I remind you that_ you _got us into this in the first place."_

" _Hmph." She would have crossed her arms if his own hands weren't impeding her movement. "Don't pass the blame to me when it's_ obviously your _hormones that are out of control."_

_Oh, the things you did for pleasure…_

_He smiled crookedly against her neck, and smoothed his hands over her hips, coming around to give her lovely rump a delightful squeeze. Swallowing her pleasured moans in a heavy kiss, he let his hands settle against the backs of her knees, coaxing her to hold firmly before he hoisted her up and settled her on the kitchen counter._

_Lelouch smiled against her mouth when her hands delicately cradled his head, and she took control of the kiss. She laved her tongue across his upper lip, and slowly teased his own with hers. It was an erotic sensation — C.C.'s tongue sliding and flattening briefly against his. Parting her lips wider in a silent invitation, he lightly traced the roof of her mouth with the tip of his tongue before pulling away so they could breathe._

" _If someone walks in on us again—"_

" _Ssh…" He kissed her lips briefly, both of his hands tracing a familiar path underneath her winter sweater. "They're busy with a movie. And as far as they're concerned, you and I are baking."_

_C.C. rolled her eyes when she heard him chuckle. She didn't voice a single protest either when he expertly unfastened her bra and relieved her breasts of the restrictive cups. He replaced them with his eager hands, rolling her stiff nipples between his fingers and kneading the mounds firmly. In response, her legs tightened around his waist, and sighs of euphoric bliss escaped her swollen lips — a prelude of the mind-numbing pleasure that would follow soon after._

_If he was in a better state of mind, he probably would have thought twice about indulging in his and C.C.'s wicked desires in the family kitchen — during the_ Holiday _celebrations. There were_ literally _over a_ dozen _people only a few rooms away, and anyone of them could walk in on this erotic display any second. Hell, even his_ mother _might see — after that close call they'd had with her one time in his apartment._

 _But by the_ gods _, he wanted to sink his fingers into her, wanted to see her writhe in pleasure as she restrained her own cries for the sake of not getting caught. He had no idea what came over him in the instances that led up to this moment, but he could care less now with a straining erection tightening his pants._

" _Lelouch, please—" She whimpered, gazing down at him and his slightly flushed face with hooded eyes. "Touch me. I— I… Oh, yes."_

 _He bit his lip as she sighed in relief. His fingers pressed her clit through her panties' crotch, and he slowly teased her there, all too aware of her swelling clit and her soaking folds. She hummed and moaned and sighed above him as one hand tangled into locks of midnight hair while she hung her head back, pushing her hips forward, silently urging him to_ stop _playing and just sink his digits into her pussy._

" _You want me to make you come, don't you?" Lelouch grinned wickedly, his other hand busy stroking her inner thigh, while his lips planted soft kisses across her collarbone._

 _She would have answered him sarcastically. But the fact that she couldn't was proof of how much he had turned her on. And he_ liked _that — liked the fact that he was competent enough to reduce such a controlled and headstrong woman into a moaning, begging mess. He_ would _make her come; because that was one of his favorite parts. He_ loved _watching her face contort with pleasure. Loved the sexual high they both indulged in by the end of it._

" _Le— Lelouch."_

" _Ssh, C.C." He chuckled at her momentary forgetfulness. "My family, remember?"_

_She blushed prettily as he stopped for a moment to gift her with a languid kiss._

" _I want to come together." She whispered against his mouth when they pulled away. Her eyes flitted to the obvious bulge in his pants._

_Lelouch just smiled, but shook his head. "Not now, C.C. Let me finish you up, and you can return the favor if you want."_

_She smiled slyly, and he could almost see the images forming in her mind. Her on her knees, palming his hard cock before taking all of him into her mouth — even down her throat a couple of times. But first things first…_

_He pushed the cloth covering her soaked pussy aside, and without hesitation, dipped his fingers into the hot velvety wetness that was C.C. Her inner walls clenched around the intruding appendages as she squeaked and held onto him tighter. Deciding that he'd had enough of teasing her, he picked up the pace — slipping his fingers in and out with vigor as loud squelching filled the room._

" _Lelouch, I— Oh, yes. It's so… Good. Feels so good." C.C. panted and gasped at the feel of his thumb rubbing against her clit, his fingers working all sorts of wonderful sensations inside her. "Lelouch, please. I— I can't… I'm— I'm going to come."_

" _Come for me, Cera." He murmured huskily, fingers working double time inside her. "Show me how good you're feeling, and come."_

_For the briefest of scandalous moments, her moans filled the kitchen. But he swallowed the rest of her pleasured cries in a hungry kiss as he kept fingering her relentlessly, until the pleasure began to ebb away, and all that was left was a lovely tingling sensation that set every nerve in her body alight with the remnants of her post-climax._

_Blearily, C.C. blinked up at the white ceiling and the rustic chandelier hanging above them. Chest heaving for some much needed air, and her best friend's tongue sliding lightly across the crook of her neck, she reached up and consciously dug her fingers into silky locks of raven hair._

_Wrapping her legs around his waist, she easily met his lips when he initiated a fervent kiss. Tongues tangling with one another for the nth time tonight, they pulled back — but just barely — to inhale some air. Foreheads pressed together, she was all too aware of the lingering wetness in Lelouch's two fingers. And as if he read her dirty thoughts, he brought them up to her lips, and without being told, she did as he said and took the appendages into her mouth._

_The wicked light in his enthralling violet eyes didn't die down as he watched. And if it was possible, his pants only grew tighter — so much that he had to fight off the urge to relieve himself of the literal pressure. He slipped his fingers back out, covered in her saliva_ and _her cum._

" _I think I'd rather want a taste of you." C.C. mumbled against his lips, every ounce of her hot breath hitting his mouth._

_The sensation prompted him to claim her lips again, moving his tongue seamlessly into her mouth just to tease her and arouse her some more because he couldn't get enough of those sweet moans. He gently lowered her feet onto the floor again as they made out, his hands busy mapping patterns on her soft flesh, righting bits of her clothing in the process._

" _You want me?" He panted into her mouth._

" _I want your cum sliding down my throat." She whispered, her own hands wandering farther and farther south until her finger circled around the button holding his pants together. "Want your hard cock in and out of my mouth."_

 _Lelouch bit his lip as one of her naughty hands began palming his crotch, stroking the prominent bulge. And this time, he_ really _didn't bother suppressing a loud moan; because by the_ gods _, it was such a turn-on whenever she started talking dirty in the middle of the teasing they did. It was their little secret, and theirs alone._

_The fly was unzipped, her fingers on the edges of his briefs. The tips of her fingers grazed his hot flesh…_

" _Big brother?"_

_Eyes snapping open in full alert, they jumped away from each other as they both awkwardly worked on quickly fixing their clothes. But the efforts were futile as they both turned to see Lelouch's brother, Rolo, already standing at the archway with wide — possibly traumatized — eyes._

_Damn it all to hell, for crying out loud!_

vVvVv

There were three staples to any college party thrown by one of their University athletes: the booze, the dancing, and the hook-ups. That last part, was something Lelouch wanted to _sincerely_ avoid — for obvious reasons. It was getting more and more difficult though, since he was no longer committed to any woman, he was free to discreetly _stare_ at C.C. as much as he liked.

He normally wouldn't, but her ridiculously risque outfit was putting his male hormones to the test. _Why_ she chose to wear something _like that_ tonight was _beyond_ him. Lelouch, however, liked to think that it was all in the spirit of a college party. It wasn't anything revealing (thank the heavens, because C.C. wouldn't wear such clothing unless it was absolutely necessary), it just… It fit…

The lovely sleeveless top paired with shorts over dark stockings and high heeled boots hugged every curve in her body _too well_. And not for the first time, he was reminded that if C.C. _really_ wanted it, she would have no trouble attracting the opposite sex's attention. Maybe he was going to have to fight off a guy or two with an outfit like that.

"Lelouch, if you were going to ogle at me, could you have done it in a less _obvious_ manner?"

Her lilting voice broke his reverie as she swayed and bopped her head in time with the beat. Still, her eyes were narrowed and perfectly golden and just _teasing_.

He choked unceremoniously on his cup of boring ice water before putting it down to pound his chest that was heaving with dry coughs — trying to rid himself of the affliction. This woman and her knack for surprising the ever loving _crap_ out of him.

"Someone needs to tone down the staring." Suzaku commented, eyes wandering everywhere _but_ Lelouch.

The brunet missed his glower, and only C.C. noticed, but she relished the fact that she got under his skin again and ruffled his feathers quite intensely. Sipping her cocktail happily, she grinned into the rim of her cup as she glanced at her friend and his dangerously flushed face.

"Any more, and I'd think you're in to me."

Lelouch didn't miss the mirth shining in those mischievous bullion eyes.

 _I_ am _in to you…_

He was opening his mouth to say something, but was cut off as usual when C.C. stood up and promptly declared she would be heading to the kitchen to grab another pitcher of drinks — since there was plenty to go around. It was almost like an automatic response when Lelouch made to follow, but he stopped when C.C. insisted on doing this by herself because she wasn't a _child_ who needed _supervision_ every freaking minute.

Grumbling, the raven-haired man resigned himself to his fate, finishing up his water while stewing relentlessly under Suzaku's _intense_ stare. For some reason, despite the racket the party was making around them, he could still feel Suzaku's eyes drilling into the side of his head.

"Are you done punching holes into my brain?" Lelouch commented, wincing at how stupid those words sounded when they left his mouth.

"Didn't realize there were still enough spaces to punch holes into." Suzaku's snark earned him Lelouch's full attention.

"When did _you_ become a smartass?"

"Ever since I watched your sorry ass pine for C.C. for over a _year_." The brunet squinted at his half-empty cup of beer. Lelouch was right. When did _he_ get so bold? Maybe it was the alcohol talking. But oh well. Take every opportunity you can get, right? And he'd been wanting to rant about this specific thing for a long time now. "You're staring at her like you want to bang her or something."

"Suzaku, you're drunk. Shut up." Lelouch mumbled dejectedly as he pushed a cup of water Suzaku's way.

"Lelouch… Just— Just come right out. Rip off the band-aid. That sort of thing." Suzaku's eyes were a hazy green but he waved his hand in front of his face. How many drinks had he consumed so far? "Your relationship with Shirley is— One big _joke_."

Oh, right. He hadn't told Suzaku about the breakup yet… Well, the man would be happy about that at least. If he were sober enough to appreciate the fact, that is; which at the moment he _clearly_ wasn't.

Lelouch sighed heavily. They weren't even halfway into the party night, and already, all kinds of crap were bearing down on him — mentally, anyways. Maybe he should just find C.C. and try to keep himself busy in the meantime while Suzaku was threatening to doze off next to him.

"A pitcher of margarita for me, and here's for you two."

Lelouch blinked stupidly at the cold bottle of beer that was suddenly pressed into his empty hand. Looking to his left, he caught Suzaku with a similar expression as C.C. rounded the back of the couch and plopped down between them again. Pouring herself another plastic cup of alcohol, and downing the drink in a few seconds.

She and Suzaku started having a tipsy conversation over some alcohol as Lelouch himself took a few sips of beer, watching the two intently and yet, not really listening to what they were saying. He honestly blamed C.C. for the latter, because _why the hell_ did she _have_ to wear black fishnet stockings under the shorts and cross her legs _like that?_

He chugged on the beer again, confused at _why_ he was looking at C.C. the way he did. He'd seen her in _less_ clothing before — for crying out loud. But maybe it was that way because it had been a long time since he did. But that was _no_ excuse! Was it bad if he blamed the alcohol he had consumed though? Even if he _had_ done his best to drown out the intoxicating drinks with cups of ice water.

A couple of more minutes went by with the three of them just lounging on the couch like party poopers while the rest of the party guests chatted and hit the dance floor. Lelouch had even begun to chime into the conversation C.C. and Suzaku shared. And as the night wore on, Lelouch was beginning to wonder if this was what the party was going to amount to for _him_. Just a night of doing nothing but drinking alcohol for no other reason than the fact that it was socially acceptable to do so in such a place.

Well, he _thought_ it was going to be that way until Suzaku would say stupid things like…

"Lelouch, have you ever realized that I loved you?"

The music was loud, but C.C.'s laughter was _louder_ — if that was possible. (Or perhaps it was just because he was sitting next to her.

"Aaaanndd~ _There's_ a confession I don't see everyday. Where's Euphy when we need her, eh?" She grinned and elbowed Lelouch's side harshly. The latter winced and batted her hand away as he glowered at Suzaku who was drinking from his fifth — or was it eighth — bottle? Lelouch wasn't exactly counting.

"C.C., stop." He groaned before he kicked Suzaku's knee across C.C.'s legs. "Suzaku, I told you before. You're drunk. Knock it off."

"Says the sober one." C.C. rolled her eyes and pushed Suzaku off of her shoulder when he tried to use it as a pillow.

"It's truuuuueeee~" The brunet crooned and groaned. "Hic— I— I love Euph—hic—y. But I—" Coughing. Snickering. Snorting. "I loooovveee youuuu more."

The statement was followed by a giant grin that Lelouch would have found disturbing if he was in his right mind. But because he was _drunk_ , he only settled for grabbing a cushion behind him and sloppily throwing it at the other man. It completely missed and hit someone else behind them who was thankfully _too_ inebriated to notice the assault. C.C., on the other hand, was busy with other things, Lelouch soon realized as a hand that wasn't his own dug around his pocket for something. Maybe a phone.

" _C.C._ what the hell?!" He squirmed and tried to push her off, but she always had the stronger grip between the two of them.

"Shush, let me concentrate." She grinned, before managing to close her fingers around his smartphone and pulled it out with a flourish, ending with her toppling back to land on top of Suzaku's knee. But thank the _heavens_ that his smartphone didn't _fly_.

Lelouch was frowning and pouting, and without thinking, crawled on top of C.C. when she refused to get up. Tipsy, Lelouch outstretched an arm to hopefully close his fingers around the pilfered device, but C.C. expertly twisted her body so she was laying on her front, holding Lelouch's phone out of his reach while Suzaku giggled madly above the both of them — since they were practically _sprawled_ across his lap at this point.

C. to drag herself — over Suzaku's lap — to the opposite end of the couch, but was stopped when her best friend wrapped his arms around her hips. Obviously, he was trying to pull her back, but all he was _really_ managing to do was slip C.C.'s shorts off ever so slightly. And the sad part was that Lelouch barely noticed in the high of their childish display. Suzaku's snickering turned into loud boisterous laughing as C.C. unintentionally poked his stomach with her free hand while squirming to _get away_ from Lelouch.

A bit more tussling and the pair ended up falling on the rug; half because Suzaku had pushed them off in his fit of tickled laughter, and half because they _were_ moving too much to stay situated on the couch. Lelouch hit his head on the edge of the coffee table, and the pain brought him back to his senses — _barely_ , but it'd have to do for the moment. C.C. lay underneath him with flushed cheeks. From the liquor or the _ridiculousness_ of the situation, none of them knew.

"Wow, if I'd known you wanted to do me right this instant, we could have—" She frowned, searching for the words at the tip of her tongue. "Could have tried a bed."

Lelouch was rubbing his eyes as he got off of her, and she sat up in response. He tilted his head back against the couch, completely forgetting about his smartphone in C.C.'s grasp — and the reason why they had ended up in such awkward poses. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself all while Suzaku's outrageous hiccuping behind him began to slow in frequency.

"Lelouch, I want to dance."

The raven-haired man opened his eyes to see C.C.'s wide pretty bullion eyes staring at him beneath a layer of alluring makeup that somehow made her look edgier. He didn't know why he was just noticing her dolled up face now, though. If he was sober, he would have protested and came up with excuses, because _Lelouch does not flail like a wild animal anywhere_. But because he was _graciously_ drunk tonight, the answer was a simple relenting shrug.

"M'kay."

The begging face morphed into the expression that Lelouch knew and the one that resembled _C.C._ the most. Twining their fingers together, she pulled him up with a bit more effort than usual as they both stumbled and giggled like children — leaving his smartphone on the coffee table and an inebriated Suzaku snoring loudly and drooling abundantly on one of Gino's prized couch pillows.

vVvVv

Any sober individual wouldn't appreciate the _mess_ that was the dance floor — which was actually in the middle of Gino's giant foyer. (Thanks, mansion owned by mom and dad). Bodies ground against one another, swaying and following the beat of the upbeat music as the hired headliner hopped and mixed effects and tunes. The lights were _polarizing_ as they flickered in and out of existence, shrouding the room in darkness one second and exploding in colors the next.

The perfect atmosphere to hookup and pretend to be someone else…

The perfect place to forget momentarily and just think of him and C.C. as just another pair dancing together in a crowd.

Lelouch was always notorious for sitting out dancing in _any_ party. He preferred to just sit there, have a couple of drinks, and try to stay reasonably sensible throughout the night. So, it had been easy to forget that C.C. was _actually_ an exceptional dancer whenever she wanted to be one.

Under the dim and flashing lights, her hips gyrated to the beat every single time. With each swirl of her free-flowing hair, he could detect the fragrance of the lavender shampoo she was fond of using, and it was proof of how _close_ they actually were in the tight space. He could sense other people's bodies moving behind him, but his own attention was trained on his dance partner — who wasn't letting up one bit.

Someone bumped into him from behind, destroying the spell, and eliciting a frown onto his face. He stumbled but C.C. caught him easily, her arms wrapping around his torso and unconsciously pulling him closer.

"You okay?"

"Mm." He grunted in agreement as his own hands found their way to her hips.

Streaks of green, pink, red, blue, and yellow lights flashed consecutively, sending the crowd into a party frenzy — all jumping as the DJ called from the booth. But the brief bursts of light only served to tell both Lelouch and C.C. that they were moving _too_ close to each other — just like that one fateful night that triggered their string of sexual affairs that followed right before Lelouch started a thing with Shirley. It was almost as if it was _all_ happening again. And what a _fitting_ setting too.

In another college party… Sparks flying in the dance floor…

She was supposed to fall in love with someone else.

He was supposed to be recovering from a breakup.

But by some cruel joke played by the universe, the combination of the alcohol, the dancing, and the room's atmosphere screamed, 'Hell NO!'

Velvet met smooth silk as they kissed each other's lips simultaneously, tongues intertwining, and mouths locking together while their bodies followed. Every dip and curve fit into his like a puzzle piece, and C.C. sighed into the kiss as Lelouch's hands skimmed down the sides of her body, eagerly grinding their hips together, much like the other coupled dancers.

His lips left hers and she whined impatiently at the loss of contact, suddenly feeling cold. But never one to disappoint, Lelouch bent over her and latched onto her erogenous spot just below her ear. C.C. shivered delightfully in his arms, her erotic moan lost to the pounding of the overpowering bass. They swayed against one another, hips creating delicious friction. If they were somewhere more ideal, he had half the mind to unbutton those shorts, rip a hole in her stocking, and plunge into her heat — until she cried his name in absolute bliss.

C.C. tilted her head to one side, taking the majority of her lengthy hair with her, granting Lelouch more access to her sweet sweet flesh. One hand came up and buried her fingers into the darkness of his silky hair, coaxing him to do more. His free hand wandered further south and naughtily squeezed a plump cheek as he ground the evidence of his arousal against her core. Half of her sensible mind wished they could be in a more appropriate location if their actions would take them further, but at the same time, C.C. could care _less_ if some people recognized who they were. The lights were dim, but it was obviously not dim enough for anything else other than grinding and very heavy petting.

Still helping himself to her sweet spots, she mewled into his ear and cupped his jaw to bring his mouth to hers again. He didn't protest and indulged her in a slow yet heavy kiss, his tongue sliding seamlessly into her mouth. Moaning into the mouth she had been wanting to kiss for some time now, she clenched her thighs together, trying to relieve the heavenly ache that was growing between her legs.

Lelouch pulled back ever so slightly, all too aware of how _tight_ his pants had gotten. But that relief was short lived as C.C. turned around and pressed her back firmly against his chest instead. His own hands automatically came around her hips, holding her and urging her to grind into him again and again. He smirked mischievously into her hair as her own head lolled back and rested on the space at his collarbone. Slyly, his fingers skimmed up and up, tracing the curve of her torso until his hand came to rest just beneath the curve of her left breast.

Long green hair covering the front of her chest, C.C.'s knees nearly buckled from underneath her when Lelouch slipped his hand over her left breast, kneading it slowly and firmly. Her back began to bow, arching as if it had a mind of its own; her body responding to his familiar touch, silently begging for _more_ of that tight warmth he was dangling over her. His right hand kept in time with the music and held her hips firmly as they ground against one another. This combined with his lips leaving soft kisses and traces of his hot breath behind her ear, and his hand smoothing over and massaging her breast, she was reduced to nothing more than a moaning, sighing mess.

He lit her desire for him anew, and it kept building and building as she easily responded to his ministrations and ground back against him — pressing her hot center against his straining erection, hoping for the sweet release that would eventually come.

It was a surreal experience — so tantalizing. He was all over her. And not even the reek of sweat and alcohol could cover the alluring scent of Lelouch's favorite cologne. It made her heady and dizzy with more than just desire. His scent, his touch, his whole being _clamoring_ for a place _in_ her was overwhelming.

She wanted— She wanted to give herself to _him_ now. Just like she intended to a year ago.

It was just a tiny bit weird that it was happening in a place like _this_ … And under the influence of alcohol, no less.

All too soon, the dance music changed, and shifted into something more mellow. The spell having been broken, C.C. released her best friend (her _best friend_ , oh god), just as Lelouch gingerly created a respectable distance between him and her. And even if the lights were no longer maddening and the room was still dim, Lelouch could see traces of lust that they had both ignited, still simmering in her lovely eyes. The flush on her cheeks weren't a lie either. Hell, he still had the aftertaste of her skin and the saltiness of her sweat on his tongue.

But despite their alcohol addled minds, they _still_ knew that what they had just done was wrong — in some way or another.

C.C.'s eyes in the gloom were unreadable, but Lelouch figured they needed time to think about what _the hell_ just happened in the heat of the moment.

"I'm going to sit down." C.C. spoke loudly above the din of the noisy crowd.

Lelouch nodded, and jerked a thumb towards the general direction of the kitchen.

"I'll get us some water."

vVvVv

The kitchen was fairly empty — _miraculously_ , and the five coolers full of bottled water were strewn about the floor in puddles of melted ice. There were still cups all over the kitchen counters and a forgotten ping-pong ball lying among the mess.

But that wasn't what caught Lelouch's attention…

The horrible sound of someone retching was enough to kill the slight buzz he had built up over the course of the night. Following the sound, he noticed the door to the bathroom was open, and even though it wasn't really his business, he investigated the source of the noise anyway…

—Only to find the familiar sight of tousled ginger hair and the rest of her doubled over the toilet, vomiting and vomiting.

Shirley may be his ex, but it wasn't a reason to pretend like her ill-self didn't exist. Being reasonable, Lelouch swiped a hand towel off of the rack, went back out to the kitchen and soaked the fabric in cool water, before returning to hand over the towel to Shirley — who was still slightly oblivious to another person's presence. Sighing, Lelouch stumbled slightly and knelt down to press the soaked the fabric to Shirley's forehead when she stopped retching and simply hung her head over the bowl.

"Th— Thanks, Milly— Lulu?!"

Shirley stared at him with wide yet hazy green eyes. She gathered the sense to press the towel to her own forehead, and rise shakily to her feet. She swayed in her steps and he immediately reached to steady her, but her own sudden movement combined with the personal shock made the bile rise to her throat. The vomit barely missed Lelouch's head as it splattered the once pristine light blue tiles. He ended up helping her double over the toilet again as she continued expelling alcohol from her system.

He knew from over a year of dating that Shirley was never one to drink or anything of the sort. So, the fact that she had come out tonight (with Milly, going by what she said earlier, to Gino's party) was proof of how much he had emotionally scarred her. People _rarely_ did things out of character unless they were influenced by something or someone.

And again, the guilt came hammering down like an anvil — triggering the _very real_ possibility of a migraine when he would wake up with a hangover in the morning.

Out of pity, he began rubbing gentle circles on her back, trying to ease the spasms that racked her body from so much exertion and heaving. She was trembling too as she struggled taking deep breaths. She dry heaved a couple of times before sitting back on her haunches, utterly _drained_ from the experience. It wasn't hard to deduce that all she wanted, at the moment, was sleep. And probably a chaser to wash out the dregs of the alcohol.

She hung her head as he wordlessly aided her out of the bathroom after she had rinsed her mouth and drank two glasses of water. His grip on her arm as he guided her was as gentle as she had always remembered (and dreamed about). Shirley stopped walking, and he released her. She only wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned against the kitchen counters, still trembling slightly with her head hung low.

"I came here to forget." She murmured. "But I can't."

Her sorrowful whimpers drove the knife deeper into his heart. His indecision… It had cost him and others a _lot_.

Shirley was the first victim…

Who was to say that she was the last?

He may have admitted his feelings to himself, but what about C.C.? He was _still_ hiding from her. And their little episode just _minutes_ ago…

"Lulu…" Her sobs cut through his train of though. She looked up and met his piercing violet eyes with her tear-soaked irises. "Please… Kiss me one last time." He watched a tear trail over her pursed lips. "Your farewell. Please… Just give me this, and I— I will never bother you again."

It was almost like an out of body experience — almost as if he was watching himself listen to Shirley and her pleas. The part of him that _desperately_ wanted to make amends with a girl (who was unfortunately collateral damage in this mess) screamed at him to grant her last request. To give her that kiss — even if it was borne out of pity and held no real meaning.

But he didn't want to… It would just hurt her even more if he did. In Shirley's story, _he_ was the jerk who broke her heart; the villain who left her and would indirectly lead her to the man who _was_ meant for her. Not to mention, he wanted to start righting his own mistakes. From the moment he had admitted that he was in love with his best friend, he had vowed to keep his heart for Cera — not for any other woman.

So, as much as he wished he was cruel enough to grant Shirley this last kiss to ease her temporary pain, he didn't…

He refused.

Lelouch only shook his head and took a step backwards. But he hadn't been prepared when his ex-girlfriend launched herself at him and stole the kiss he didn't want to give. Perplexed, he stared with wide eyes at Shirley's trembling form, both of her hands on either side of his face. His own body was limp. And as much as she tried to coax a response out of him, none came.

Meanwhile, C.C. watched all of this drama unfold from her spot in the doorway. From the moment Lelouch exited the bathroom with Shirley in tow, right down to their heated confrontation, and even when Lelouch denied Shirley's request but gave in anyway… She saw it all.

So C.C. left without a word to return to the rest of the boisterous party happening in the rest of the house.


	12. The Party (part 2)

Delicately fashioned hands trembled beneath his firm grip, and her world — as she knew it — felt like it was falling to pieces from the moment he turned his head away. It was his refusal. A silent rejection that he brandished in front of her face. She was hurting, that much was true. But to say that this wasn't driving the knife deeper into her own heart would be a lie.

She didn't protest when he slowly lowered her hands back to her sides, and he took an even farther step back, turning his head away. It was like watching and _listening_ to him tell her about how much he _didn't_ want her all over again.

"Shirley, please. Don't make this harder for the both of us."

"Lulu…"

He watched her eyes glisten with unshed tears as she hung her head in defeat, turned away, and left; shoulders trembling with uneasy sobs. For her sake, he hoped her close friends would be around. As much as he wanted to assist her, he couldn't. Any action he made could be taken the wrong way, and Lelouch wasn't after complicating things further.

Not with the mess he still had to clean up…

vVvVv

" _Lulu… Please… Kiss me one last time."_

" _Your farewell. Please… Just give me this, and I— I will never bother you again."_

They were over, so he said…

But who the _hell_ asked for kisses if they were breaking up?

But whatever, right? It was their business. Not hers.

C.C. stopped walking to gauge where she currently was in the expansive ground floor of the Weinberg residence. After walking in on the drama in the kitchen, she hadn't been sure whether calling out for her best friend was the right thing to do — if only to save him because he had looked as tense and as rigid as she could remember. In the end, C.C. had figured she had been right to _not_ stop them.

Still, she couldn't deny the slight tightening around her chest when she watched them kiss. A part of her had raged at how the Witch shouldn't care. But could she _really blame herself_ for feeling the way she did after what had _just_ went on _between_ them?

By the gods, the touching and the kissing weren't something new, but for a fact, they hadn't done it in a long time, and the fact that they _did_ spoke volumes about how the alcohol had evidently unearthed suppressed emotions in the both of them. And at the very least, C.C. wasn't _that_ drunk if she could still come up with this plausible conclusion.

Leaning against the wall, she wrapped her arms around herself and sighed, trying to suppress the shiver from the cold sweat dripping down the back of her neck — a remnant of the dance she'd had with Lelouch, and a reminder of what had almost happened between them in those short instances.

Was it possible, then, that she had been pining for Lelouch's touch all along?

Did previously constant physical intimacy play a part? Was it fair to assume that what they had shared during the previous year had multiplied the attachment they felt for one another?

She loved him, of course…

But she'd never been one to imagine that she— that she loved him enough to feel like she had been betrayed after she watched him kiss his ex.

But that was _so_ ridiculous. She and Lelouch had set the boundaries clear a long time ago. No matter what they did to cross the line, they had always been best friends and they mutually planned to _stay_ that way until the very end. But was that what _she_ really wanted?

A part of her wondered how he would react if she suddenly went up to him and told him outright about her feelings. What would _he_ think? Obviously, she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't shy away from her in embarrassing situations. But a confession as weighty as hers — if she ever did — was bound to leave an impact. Now, whether that effect would yield favorable or ugly results, only a real confrontation would tell.

Lost to her own musings, C.C. sighed to herself and shook her head — as if trying to physically shake off the burden of self-imposed heavy thoughts weighing on her consciousness delicately. Come to think of it, all that thinking was beginning to manifest now — in the form of a pounding migraine.

Just _how_ many drinks did she have?

Well, obviously not that many since she wasn't wasted, or passed out, or somewhere in the house kneeling over a toilet bowl while retching up the contents of her tummy. But she _was_ buzzed enough to engage in ridiculous antics with Suzaku and somehow end up in a raunchy and steamy dance-off with Lelouch not even a full hour ago.

She rubbed her eyes, every thought about the water Lelouch had promised to bring completely gone from her mind — replaced with something more pressing.

Or… It had been more pressing up until brightly shimmering blonde hair entered her field of vision. And it looked like he was headed _straight_ for her.

"What are you doing here all alone, C.C.? Aren't you enjoying the party."

Grunting, she tucked stray locks of hair behind her ear and tilted her head back to lean against the wall, golden eyes only shifting to the party's host while _he_ regarded her curiously with two drinks in hand.

"It's called _thinking_." A long and burdened sigh. "And it's not doing me any favors."

Gino only laughed and offered her a red cup, which she assumed was still full of more of that mind-addling liquor. But oh hell. What was another drink to the tall stack she was having tonight and the killer hangover she was bound to get in the morning? Besides, if Lelouch was busy doing other things, then she was allowed to have her own fun, right? It wasn't like she could go back to Suzaku. He was passed out. And _gods_ , she needed _someone_ to talk to.

"Well!" Gino huffed energetically, pushing the cup into her hand. "As the host, I can't have _one_ guest _not_ have the time of their life. Plus, you sound like you're dealing with some heavy stuff." The blonde grinned playfully and sketched a bow reminiscent of a knight offering his honorable services to his fair lady. "Gino Weinberg, uncertified shrink, at your service."

Yes, Gino was definitely buzzed. She'd seen how a teeny bit hesitant he was around her when they were sober. The playful side was only ever apparent whenever he was around people he was close to. So the fact that he was acting like she wasn't going to bite his head off the moment he tried anything funny, was amusing.

"Isn't there a law somewhere that advises against receiving services from illegal medical practitioners like you?" She smirked, playing along with his ridiculous charade.

"Haven't heard of it." Gino straightened up and laughed. "So it doesn't apply to me."

C.C. shook her head and tossed back the drink, letting the liquor's warmth sear her throat as she pulled a face at the sour aftertaste. Why was it cram full of lemons?

"Have you ever liked someone who doesn't like you back, boy?"

 _Where the hell did_ that _come from?_

"Oof! Sounds like a major issue."

C.C. only laughed and set her empty cup aside as she wrapped her arms around herself again and waved him off.

"Nothing you can't handle, I suppose."

"Something as heavy as that needs some good old-fashioned tequila shots."

Under other circumstances, C.C. wouldn't have responded too kindly to Gino wrapping his fingers around her arm and taking her with him to who knows where in this giant house. But after tonight's happenings, this young lady was only all too eager to escape from reality once again — even for a little while. She'd pretended to be a different girl with Lelouch on the dance floor. Now it's time to assume another persona while she escaped this night's heaviness with an unlikely yet welcomed friend.

vVvVv

Lelouch navigated to the main room in search of his wayward friends. He was relieved that Milly had found her way to Shirley, and that Suzaku was still snoring loudly on the couch where they'd left him. But C.C., who had claimed she was off to find a seat as he went to get water, was nowhere to be found.

The music was still loud, and the bass was still threatening to break the expensive windows. But while there were still people dancing, Lelouch could see that most of the dance floor was occupied by people stuck playing a drinking game of sorts. Filmy traces of smoke were also present, which meant someone had definitely busted out the weed.

Typical…

Without really having a clear cut understanding of what he was doing because of all the alcohol still prevalent in his brain, Lelouch only resorted to wandering the house like an idiot — even stumbling over a few people keeled over the on the floor, all manner of objects clutched in their hands. From something as commonplace as a phone or a purse to something as bizarre as… A flower pot.

 _What_?

Twice or thrice, Lelouch was convinced he'd lost himself in the giant house, only vaguely noticing how he'd traversed the second floor hallways more than once before finding his way back down to foyer. Eventually, he'd ended up in the den, where people were playing foosball and some sort of racing game on the Playstation. And in in the minibar at the corner of the room was his best friend laughing and apparently having the time of her life with no other than Gino Weinberg himself.

Stunned into a silence uncharacteristic of him, Lelouch could only watch the pair who was oblivious to his presence as he stood behind the guys hooting and slurring curse words at each other while they played. They were downing shot after shot out of a bottle of tequila that looked half-full.

His eyes roved over every detail, drinking it all in like revitalizing water. He listened to her trilling laugh — like silver bells — as she coyly slipped her hand from Gino's grip. Still _such_ a tease. The blond bastard was smiling _too much_ for his liking. Furious violets zeroed in on his stupid face inching closer and closer to the side of her head — to speak or to do something much more intimate, he wasn't sure.

And he _sure as hell_ wasn't going to stick around to find out.

A part of him was stewing in a hot boiling pot of raging jealousy, completely affronted that _Gino_ of all people was trying to show C.C. a good time when she clearly came to the party to loosen up with _him_. With _Lelouch_. Gino as a host be damned! Or perhaps it was just the fact that he could not _stand_ seeing C.C. with another man. And that was even more proof that he would positively be devastated should anything untoward happen to ruin his current relationship with his best friend.

The other half of his mind — that still possessed logic and reasoning and was sheltered from being _completely_ consumed by the addling liquor was more concerned about C.C.'s reasons for abandoning his company in favor of sharing shots with Gino at the mini bar in the den. Could she have seen him with Shirley? But even so, it wasn't like her to suddenly up and leave him when he told her he'd come and find her after the trip to the kitchen.

But on second thought it kind of was…

C.C. had always been spontaneous. Absolutely _unpredictable._ It was that part of her that Lelouch secretly liked because she kept him guessing all the time, but it was also the most confounding part of her personality. Unlike other women, C.C. had a knack for not being confusing — always straightforward and _brutally_ honest, but she was pretty puzzling in her own way and in her own right too.

She teetered somewhere in between. And _damn_ if it wasn't driving Lelouch mad the more he thought about how in love he was with her.

But what was he supposed to do now?

Should he leave them be? Let C.C. come and find him later?

He glanced their way again, and immediately made a snap decision; not really mulling it over — slightly afraid that if he thought about it too deeply in his current state, he just might abandon his resolve and turn tail to find Suzaku and watch over him while he brooded over every mistake he was making.

"C.C.!" He called, and his spirits lifted a tiny bit when she immediately turned to his direction, recognizing the sound of his voice.

"Oh, if it isn't Shirley's lover boy." C.C. crooned and grinned, her hazy golden eyes landing on him, shot glass in hand before she tossed it back.

"Hey, Lelouch! Where've you been? Me and C.C. were just drinking."

_No shit, Sherlock. You have a bottle of tequila and some shot glasses between you…_

"Care to join?" Gino grinned at him and slid a glass across the table in invitation.

Lelouch silently had to give him props for being oblivious to his discomfort and obvious distaste for this entire situation. The dude didn't even notice that C.C.'s full attention wasn't on him anymore. She was staring at Lelouch curiously and he was returning the scrutiny in equal measures.

"C.C.—" Lelouch stalled for a moment, unsure of what to say. What was a good excuse for getting her to leave the conversation with Gino and come with him? He wasn't even sure about what he was going to do next. All he knew was that he needed to get her away, so he could avoid feeling stupidly jealous over _nothing_. "I— I need to talk you."

Not the best excuse. But it would have to do…

"What about?" She blinked at him with wide and golden doe eyes. It should be illegal to have eyes like hers. They were far too compelling.

"Stuff." Was the vague answer as he silently prayed and hoped that she would get the message and just come with him to avoid unfortunate happenings.

"Oooohhh~ It's Shirley isn't it?" She grinned, like the crazy babbling drunk that she was. "I saw you two smooching."

Her words cut through his fogged up brain and it made him blanch. He hoped she wasn't assuming that he'd gotten back together with his ex. That would just make circumstances even more difficult for him. And if it did, then _of course_ it would; because the universe never quite liked it if Lelouch was having an easy time in life.

"Just—" He sighed heavily, rubbing his temples to try and fight off a migraine. Was it him, or was this room getting foggier and foggier? "Come with me. _Please_." He added as an afterthought as he made to reach for her hand, still trying to ignore Gino who was doing his best to insert himself into the conversation by talking about things like the Varsity team — topics that Lelouch could care less about.

C.C. was about to place her hand trustingly in Lelouch's when she stopped halfway and turned to Gino. "But—"

Gino's face lit up with an understanding smile. Lelouch was out of the loop on what was going on, but he had a feeling he'd find out sooner or later. Or if he didn't, he could just ask C.C., who was still looking to Weinberg for an answer of sorts

"Don't worry about it, C.C. Call me up for the answer."

Lelouch did his best to ignore the wink as much as possible, and focused instead on the feeling of C.C.'s hand cradled in his. He ended up pulling her away, and had the vague sense of Gino calling out to them, bidding them a farewell. And while he had no idea what the hell it was about that had the blond man so enthusiastically excited, the sudden and sinking feeling in his gut just wouldn't go away. It felt like someone had tied two heavy boulders into his stomach and threw it into a vat of acid.

That was how bad his trepidation was…

vVvVv

"Lelouch, you're weird." C.C. mumbled as she and Lelouch navigated through a hastily dying party and out through the front doors for a change of scenery. A little peace and quiet never hurt anyone after all. "First, you interrupt my happy conversation with somebody other than you for the first time in ages, and now you're dragging me out of a party like there's a disaster about to happen any second. Plus, we also left Suzaku."

But Lelouch only kept walking…

"Remember, Suzaku? He's your friend."

He had to get C.C. away from Gino as far as possible. As stupid and hilariously ridiculous as it sounded if they were sober.

"And did I mention the part about you interrupting an enjoyable conversation?"

"We need air. You and I are too buzzed for this."

"Yeah, I know." There was a slight pause and only the lull of their feet traversing the gravel scattered across the driveway, before— "I want pizza."

Lelouch had no answer to that and kept walking. As he came to a stop right in front of his car — that he wasn't going to drive anytime soon, he dropped C.C.'s hand like it was on fire and plopped down on the grass right next to it, burying his head between his knees as his head began to pound again.

"Are we really here to talk about Shirley?" She asked curiously as she took up her spot next to him, leaning her suddenly heavy head against the silver chassis.

"No."

"So why are we here?"

"Just because."

"I want pizza."

"You're not getting pizza, C.C."

"Melted cheese in a plate of tomatoes?"

"Nuh-uh…"

A pregnant silence settled, only broken by the sound of the party music still blaring not far away. That and he could hear C.C. shifting uneasily beside him before a familiar weight settled on his left shoulder. He turned his head the tiniest bit to peek at her and her half-closed lids.

"Why were you with Gino?" Lelouch finally asked after searching his brain for a good five minutes for the question he had intended to ask since they had secluded themselves.

"Because you and Shirley." She mumbled tiredly, so close to nodding off, unfazed at Lelouch's sudden movement.

"She wanted to come back to me."

"And?"

"I said no."

C.C. snorted and tried laughing. Only it came out garbled and broken as she was interrupted by several hiccups. "You're a real dick."

Silence… And then—

"Why were you mad when you saw me with Gino?"

Lelouch frowned, yet again subjected to find the answers that were slowly eluding him bit by bit as he gave into his drowsiness — now that they were in a quieter place.

"Were you jealous?" C.C. asked innocently, her eyes still closed.

"Should I be?" He turned his head in her direction to see her looking at him with only one eye open.

She smiled lazily. "With how you touched me tonight, probably."

It felt like the blood wasn't eager to stay in his head. Paling worse than he had earlier, he groaned and only let his head fall back on the car's door behind him with a dull thud. How could he forget about their… little tryst?

"It doesn't matter. It's not something new to us anyway." Lelouch muttered, doing his best to defuse this conversation.

C.C. stayed quiet. And unbeknownst to Lelouch, she was silently berating herself for ever hoping that he would be sensible enough to acknowledge the sexual tension that existed between them ever since this night started. What it could possibly mean and entail for the both of them. Was it fair to say that she was quietly hoping for a confession — even if it _was_ drunken?

What a mess… What a mistake…

So C.C. only forced a teasing smile on her tired face.

"Just admit you were horny and you couldn't get to a girl so you went for me."

"Is that the case?" Lelouch mumbled, not even bothering to hide his own devious smirk. "I guess you were pretty much the same then."

He flinched as C.C. swatted his arm and protested weakly. "Was not."

"You were grinding against me."

"Well, _you_ kissed _me_."

"Why are we even talking about this?"

C.C. pursed her lips for letting her mouth run. "I think I started it."

Hazy violet eyes wandered to her head of green hair still lying unmoved on his shoulder. They were quiet again, and he just _knew_ that they were thinking. Some ridiculous part of him could hear the cogs in C.C.'s brain turning — albeit slower than usual. The real question was, who would talk first?

The more they lingered in an environment like this, drunk out of their minds, and mumbling nonsensical things, the more tempted Lelouch was to let loose and just _tell her_. _Screw_ his grand plans. _Forget_ the dinner he was planning from the beginning of the week. As Suzaku suggested, it would be like ripping off a band-aid. He could just come out with it. And whether she remembered in the morning or not, he'd deal with it and react appropriately.

He just wanted and _needed_ to get it out of his chest while he had the careless confidence and courage that only alcohol could recklessly provide. It wasn't a good idea, but he had to make do, right?

Slowly taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs with cold air, and was opening his mouth to say it. To just tell her what he'd been hiding all week..

Tell her that he was the stupid guy sending her cheesy love letters. Tell her that he was the idiot who was making pick-up lines and sending her flowers and coupons to Pizza Hut. Tell her that he was — technically — Mirage's legal adoptive father. Tell her that he wanted to take her out to dinner on Monday, and woo her and show her that he could be more than her best friend.

They could be real… He wasn't going to pussyfoot around her anymore like he had been doing all this time. No more coward's way out.

"C.C.—"

"I know who he is…"

 _Wait,_ what _?!_

Eyes wide, Lelouch stared at her in surprise, heart thumping erratically in his chest as he watched her infuriatingly unmoving form. She _knew_? _All this time?_

What the fuck?!

"It's Gino, isn't it?"

And then she started giggling, confusing Lelouch even further. Was she telling the truth or was she just messing with him? Or worse. Did she _genuinely_ believe that Gino had been courting her all along?!

For the second time tonight, he felt the bile rising to his throat, and his stomach drop several feet lower — if there was even any space left. It felt like the whole world was turning over on its head, and slowly, slowly, Lelouch was obliviously watching his chances with her slide through his slippery fingers just from _that one wrong assumption._

"You had to go through all the trouble of playing messenger, when it was just _him_ all along." C.C. laughed, and never had her laugh sounded so terrifying to him before. "You could have just told me and saved us a _whole lot of trouble_. He asked me out, you know." She shifted in her current place and turned those foggy yet still mesmerizing golden eyes on Lelouch's pallid face. "And he's _really terrible_ at dishing out pick-up lines too."

_Now! Tell her now!_

"C.C., I actually—"

"Looks like I won after all." She grinned. "And that means I don't have to go on that date if I don't want to. But you know what?"

Dread was threatening to drown him. And it was actually succeeding as her next words hammered the nail on his coffin.

"I want to give him a chance." She frowned slightly and returned to her earlier position, completely _oblivious_ to the turmoil raging like a tempest in Lelouch's mind — tripling the force of his migraine and threatening to drown him in unending anxiety. "He deserves one after all his efforts, don't you think?"

"C.C.—"

"Is he genuine?"

No. No _no no no no no no_!

Was this his punishment? Was this the verdict because he stalled for too long? Was this what he would have to put up with for toying with his own feelings and with C.C.'s and with Shirley's?

Shit hitting the fan just took on a whole new meaning.

He turned to face her only to meet her small smile. Despite the alcohol in her breath and the haziness in her eyes that told him she was going to pass out quite soon, her genuine feelings still managed to shine through — as clear and as bright as day.

She trusted her best friend enough that she would willingly give other people a chance if Lelouch vouched for them. And in the past, he knew that C.C. believed that he would never steer her wrong, and truth be told, all he wanted out of this entire mess was her happiness. Him and C.C. sharing a real relationship was only second to C.C.'s smile. So…

So if she wanted to go out with Gino — even if it wasn't part of _his_ plans (rather a result of the blunders he unintentionally made), then he would let her. If it made her happy. If it would ease her mind.

There was a chance that she wouldn't like Gino, after all. It was a fifty-fifty chance, but it was better than nothing. All he had to do was keep telling himself that nothing was set in stone.

"Do you really want to go out on that date with him?"

God, just asking the question made him want to hurl.

C.C.'s eyes closed and she shrugged. "A chance won't hurt."

"What if he's not the one? You could be wrong."

"If he isn't… Then _who_ is?"

…

"It's me. It's not Gino. It's me.

"Me.

"Me.

"Me.

"It was all me, Cera…

"Are you listening to me? Of course not. Because you're asleep.

"But it was all me…"


	13. All My Regrets

"You're an idiot! You're a FUCKING IDIOT! For some reason, I'm smarter than you all of a sudden."

Suzaku couldn't resist screaming like a madman after hearing his friend's poor excuses. He didn't even mind the fact that he just got served a story that was _too much_ to process in one go. The problem was that Lelouch was a shitty idiot who couldn't read between the lines when it was clear as day to everyone that he and C.C. were attached to each other far more than _best friends_ should be.

He had been seeing it from the very beginning, even _before_ Lelouch began dating Shirley. In his own defense, there wasn't a lack of pieces of advice and honest opinions from him on the matter, but did either of them listen?

 _Of course not!_ They were too logically inclined for their own good…

And clearly not communicating well enough if they both managed to land themselves in this shitty mess. And what a mess it was indeed.

So, apparently, after a year of dating Shirley (and convincing everybody that he was happy with her), Lelouch somehow realized his standing feelings for C.C. And instead of fixing his problems with Shirley first and breaking it off properly, this raven-haired idiot was too intimidated by the fact that C.C. wasn't interested in a relationship. So he resorted to hiding his feelings behind the lie that C.C. had a secret admirer that used him as a messenger for his love letters.

The wooing was going _splendidly_ as what Suzaku had heard, and only in the middle of it did vi Britannia find the sense to end his relationship with Shirley. (At the very least, he did _one thing_ right). And then Gino joined the picture, was genuinely interested in earning C.C.'s affection, asked her out, and it led to Lelouch moping miserably in Suzaku's apartment while the two were nursing hangovers from the previous night.

"I'm fully aware, Suzaku. You don't need to rub it in." Lelouch grumbled unhappily as he took sips from his water bottle.

"What the hell are you even still doing here? Call her and get her back."

"Are you encouraging me to be rude on top of being a fool?"

Suzaku was still staring at his friend with an incredulous expression. Lelouch was nothing if not eloquent even in the face of misery. Perhaps even more so in the face of misery, to be honest. In spite of the raging headache that he was sure to be feeling at this moment, his friend still found it in him to protect his pride.

Shaking his head in utter exasperation at Lelouch's annoyed quips, he said, "No. What I'm saying is that you need to fix this _today_. Not another moment longer. If you really love her like you say you do, then you'd better man up and get her."

A brief yet heavy silence blanketed them both; a silence where Suzaku had resorted to drinking water from a bottle and popping two pills into his mouth to get rid of the headache. Lelouch sat still on one of the armchairs, eyes closed and forehead creased from frowning far too much.

And just when the brunet thought that Lelouch wouldn't comment any further on the pressing issue, he spoke up — albeit a little too quietly.

"And if she's happy being with him?"

For the umpteenth time in a single day, Suzaku found himself resisting the urge to tear his hair out.

"Gah! Lelouch, it's been a _mystery_ to everybody that you and C.C. aren't dating! Apparently everyone else can see and you two are blind! She's happy with _you_. In the same way that you're happier _when you're with her!_ " Gesticulating wildly and not caring that he looked positively ridiculous, Suzaku continued. "This right here is proof that you're _dying_ on the inside with just the thought of losing the opportunity to be with her. If you're so invested in your feelings, then you're going to take every chance to let her know — no matter how slim that chance is going to be."

"She's convinced that it's him." Lelouch protested weakly, cradling his smarting head as every nerve seemed to pound alarmingly.

"To be fair, she _is_ grasping at straws with no real leads." Suzaku shrugged.

What was Lelouch so _hesitant_ of doing? If he was worried about C.C.'s genuine happiness, Suzaku didn't think the man had a reason to worry.

But then again, how was he so sure that Lelouch told him the _whole_ story? Going by that logic, it would be easy to assume that the rest of the issue was something he and the confused girl had to untangle for themselves.

Lelouch sighed deeply as he clasped his hands below his chin, staring down at Suzaku's rug like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Gino likes her. If C.C. pops the question about a bunch of my stupid letters, he _will_ own up to it." God, just the thought of it happening inevitably was enough to quadruple the headache and intensify the emotional anguish. "What idiot wouldn't with an opportunity like that?"

Suzaku sighed at Lelouch's bitter remarks. It's true that it _was_ a possibility, but if Suzaku knew Gino Weinberg at all, it was that he was a genuine individual who had zero intentions to harm other people. Besides, the little side effect Lelouch pointed out was just another consequence for his actions. Frankly speaking, vi Britannia had no choice but to live with that knowledge and let it haunt him until the full truth was revealed.

Still, Suzaku hated _not_ reassuring people — especially if he was certain about particular facts.

"Lelouch, I know Gino. Give him some credit. He's ballsy and will do anything to woo a girl if he's got a chance with her—"

"You're not helping!" Lelouch cut him off midway into the sentence and tried to interrupt, but Suzaku held up a hand.

"Hear me out! He's not a bad person. He wouldn't steal someone else's girl. And since _you_ didn't lay claim to courting C.C., any admirer she has is fair game."

Lelouch was straight up just scowling now, but Suzaku pressed on, ignoring the fact that the other man was shooting daggers at him through striking violet eyes.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat stuff, and you're not going to like this. Your delays are what led to this in the first place. It's what brought C.C. confusion. It's what hurt Shirley. It's what's driving me nuts! And it's about to get ugly with Gino too. This is your mistake. But like what you told me, Lelouch. Mistakes can be fixed. It's high time you start taking your own advice."

As much as Lelouch didn't appreciate his pride getting trampled on, he couldn't deny the truth Suzaku uttered. Couldn't deny its validity and its morality. He knew from the beginning that his actions could have unsavory consequences. And while he certainly did his part to — as much as possible — avoid errors and discrepancies, he still hadn't foreseen the circumstance that Fate had thrown his way, and it led to _this_.

To think, that all of it could have been avoided if he had just come right out at the beginning with an iron will. Times like this he was reminded all over again that his spontaneity and his pride served as both a strength and a weakness.

There were little paths to choose from now, and all he knew was that he had to press onward. And face whatever was going to wait for him in the end, knowing full well that whatever it was going to be, it was the ultimate result of his doing.

It didn't mean he had to like his current situation any more than he should…

Lelouch looked up when Suzaku squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, and all the disgruntled man could do was chuckle miserably.

"Hm. I never thought I'd see the day Suzaku Kururugi would be chastising _me_ about matters of the heart."

Suzaku released an uneasy laugh. "Even people like you need somebody knocking you to your senses once in a while. That goes for C.C. as well."

Lelouch tried to smile, but it instantly left his face at the thought of what he had yet to encounter.

Whatever would happen would happen… He just had to live with it…

vVvVv

Today and last night had been… hectic to say the least. So much went on in such a short span of time that she was inclined to liken the experience to a gag-inducing ride on some extreme roller coaster. Waking up to the outdoors with morning dew on her hair this morning had been an uncomfortable experience. Couple that with migraines courtesy of a hangover and the sight of her best friend passed out beside her as they were both sprawled beside his car, and she had herself a recipe for what-the-fuck.

C.C. only thanked her lucky stars that both Suzaku and Gino had found them not long after; the two boys, no strangers to the after effects of the alcohol from last night. Still dazed and too focused on her own headache, she really failed to take in the details of what last night's rowdy party had done to Gino's house. At that one singular moment, they had all been determined to do one thing: head home and sleep away the hangover some more.

Nevertheless, she still found herself waking up at late noon to Mirage nudging her arm with a wet nose because she was hungry. Part of her had wanted to call Suzaku or Lelouch to see if they were alright, but in favor of accommodating her own physical pains, decided to put off the call until later, when her head wasn't pounding and when she felt less icky.

Getting herself together and attending to her body's needs had come first, and now that it was over with, C.C. found herself focusing on the other aspect of the party's aftermath. Which involved her mulling over the interactions she'd had last night. Well, with what she could properly recall anyway, since some bits were hazy, and she wasn't sure if she had dreamt some of them or they actually happened.

C.C. paused briefly in the middle of applying her makeup as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, hardly unable to believe what she was about to do.

Here she was with mental and emotional messes she still had to sort through, but against it all, she was prepping herself for tonight's excursion — which only came about after she had taken Gino Weinberg up on his offer to go out on a date. He'd asked her about it last night while they were both having a great time just talking, and even went as far as to ask if she was still down to do it one of these days via text message this afternoon.

Despite the slight ache caused by the hangover, and little to no rest, she had accepted the offered date way too quickly. Now whether Gino noticed it or not, she didn't know.

C.C. wanted to give him a fair chance if he was _really_ her secret admirer — as she had blatantly expressed to a drunk and dumbfounded Lelouch last night, but she knew in her heart that she only agreed to this to shut Gino's courting down as early as possible.

Weinberg wasn't a bad guy, by any means. He was decent. And she was sure that some other girl would snatch him up one day. But it just wasn't going to be _her_ … For _plenty_ of reasons other than shallow excuses like personal preference and taste.

No matter how cute some of his pick-up lines had been. He certainly had a way with words if he could make her heart flutter so compulsively whenever she'd read his wandering notes.

C.C. honestly didn't understand herself…

Here she was outwardly proclaiming that she wanted no part in romantic affairs between men and women, and yet, when the love letters started coming, she was as riveted with them as any other girl would-be.

But to be fair, who wouldn't be?

For all her professions of finding courting and romance, in general, as something cheesy, even _she_ couldn't resist the allure of the fact that out of the seven billion people in the world, there was one soul who was willing to confess his attraction to her — secret or no. But now that the perpetrator of those love letters was finally revealed, a part of her was slightly disappointed in herself that after all the effort Gino had put, all she could give him in return was a gentle let down of his feelings.

If he _was_ the one sending her all those letters that is… She had no solid confirmation yet, and she had tried texting Lelouch about it, only to receive no reply. But still—

It was just sad that the reason why she wouldn't be able to like him right off the bat (even if he _had_ been sweet enough to give her Mirage) was because of her own standing affection for someone else. She didn't want him, because her loyalty had always been to Lelouch.

But Lelouch liked someone else, didn't he?

He was still in love with Shirley, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. He was just confused and upset.

Finishing up her natural look for tonight, she nodded at herself in the mirror, proud to have done a decent job of _not_ looking like a hungover and drowned individual. She glanced at her phone that was still in the middle of charging and took note of the time as half past seven just as the notable sound of the car engine purred outside, and her phone lit up with a text message.

_I'm here~ :D_

Oh, hell! Feelings or no, what was it about first dates that made people nervous?

She wasn't giddy, by any means. Her stomach was just twisting and turning with the knowledge that she was about to lay someone's efforts to waste. Sighing, she glanced at her puppy who was still busy snuggling in C.C.'s sweater and falling asleep. She let her wandering gaze linger over the room for some odd reason before she scratched her comfortable pet behind her fluffy white ears, unplugged her charger, and left the house to face the admirer she had been wanting to meet.

vVvVv

The date so far… It wasn't phenomenal. It wasn't great. It didn't drive her nerves crazy with anticipation for what could unfold at the end of the night. It just felt so… casual. And platonic.

She had to give Gino props for doing his best to make her comfortable though. As friendly as the tone of this 'date' was, C.C. admired Gino's way of talking to people. There was never an awkward pause in their conversations so far. Because where C.C. was unwilling to initiate conversation, Gino could talk up a storm. And she was glad to be a listener.

He was also ordering a crap ton of food. But there was plenty of pizza-themed variations to her meal, so she wasn't complaining. It simply meant the kid did his research.

Part of her wondered if Weinberg had called up her best friend to ask for pointers before he took her out. And if he _was_ the admirer, he likely had. Also, speaking of Lelouch, the drunken moron still wasn't replying to her messages. And now she was just more eager to drop by his place tonight to see if he was still alive. For all his doting over Nunnally and Rolo, Lelouch really sucked at taking care of himself _properly_ ; hence, Marianne checking in on her son in person every now and then.

"To be honest, I was actually thinking of taking you out maybe next week. Or whenever you're not feeling crappy." Gino chuckled nervously before shoving a mouthful of fries into his mouth. "I know I am."

The smile she offered up was tepid at best — the beginning of complete honesty. "I guess I'm just eager to see if there's a real chance or not."

Gino hummed thoughtfully and flashed her a smile. "There isn't, is there?"

Well, she didn't see _that_ response coming. Perceptive _and_ frank. Two traits that she could appreciate. If she wasn't so skeptical about letting people into her life, she would even go so far as to say that Gino would make a great friend one day.

So C.C. didn't bother holding back either. If he was going to be upfront with her, then she'd gladly return the sentiment.

"No, there's not. Sorry."

"It's cool." Gino laughed to himself after sipping on his iced tea. "I'm just glad I had the balls to actually ask you out and _try_ , you know. So thank you for not shooting me down right off the bat."

She finished up the last bit of pizza roll she had on her plate, and just smiled at Gino and his honesty.

"We _are_ friends after this right?" Was the hopeful and sudden reply — like he was thinking twice about asking her about that matter or not. "I mean, I _do_ like you and I think you're a really cool upper class man, and I don't want you to think of me as just another guy who's asked you out at some point."

Inwardly, C.C. was _amused_. He certainly had a way of coming on too strong sometimes, but now she could understand why so many women at the University were falling on their faces just _wanting_ Gino's attention. How she saw him interact with others in public was the same way he was treating her _right now_. So, if there was one thing she was totally sure about, _right now,_ it was the fact that Gino deserved someone so much better.

At the thought of why she was here and what they were even doing, C.C. smiled sadly.

"Well, I won't be shrugging you off like the others the next time at least. And I need you to tell me one thing."

"Shoot."

"Were you sending me these?" She asked, revealing the latest letter she'd received, laying it out flat on the table right between them.

And there it was in all its glory — spidery script on a piece of stiff stationary paper, black ink glimmering under the low light as it winked at C.C. Her gaze wandered away from the incriminating piece of paper to her companion's face, silently taking note of every emotion that displayed across it rapidly. Among others, confusion stood out the most.

For a moment, it almost seemed like the noise in the diner was _nothing_. And just when she was about to prompt him for a proper response, he spoke up with a dastardly smile that wasn't entirely genuine.

"If this means I would have gotten better chances with you, I wish I did."

 _I wish I did… I_ wish _. I_ did.

It was so stupid — the way she was _slowly_ processing each word that fell out of his lips. If he wasn't her admirer, then _who—_

"Are you still getting them?" Gino asked carefully, suddenly feeling like he had to walk on egg shells, and C.C. felt sorry that she had put him under an intentional spotlight.

To be fair, this wasn't how she had foreseen it. She was supposed to pop the question, he was going to own up, she'd tell him her piece, thank him for the dinner, be done with it, and move on with her life. But _this_ , and the party, and everything that had gone down with Lelouch— Oh _god_ , the _party_.

There were more questions _than_ answers, and it was confusing and frustrating and upsetting, and— and—

"It's a long story." She managed to say, sliding the paper out of the table and now feeling like she had just embarrassed herself in front of the people she cared about the most. "But in a nutshell, I was supposed to get one of these once a day. I was expecting one to come in today in the mail or through… whoever. But there weren't any."

Gino gave her his signature grin. His attempt, she knew, at lighthearted banter. "Were you hoping it was me?"

"Can the ego." C.C. sighed, unimpressed with his jokes but understanding why he was taking a stab at injecting humor. This entire confrontation (from the moment she'd asked about the letters he'd _never_ made or sent, apparently) was just one messy situation she'd dropped in their platonic get-together. "I assumed. Since none came yesterday _and_ today and you just asked me out last night. Just the timing of it all."

She didn't mention the way he treated her so nicely last night, the way he expressed himself, and how he had come onto her too boldly under the influence of alcohol. The timing was just too coincidentally perfect. Like it was some sick joke to play.

"It really wasn't you, was it?"

Gino pursed his lips. "As golden as this opportunity is to own up to someone else's moves, I'm not like that. It wasn't me, C.C. But _god_ , I wish it was. Do you like this guy? Whoever he is?"

"I don't know…"

And she truly really didn't.

"I thought I had the answer. But I don't really know."

She huffed, disappointed with herself and her stupidity, so she grabbed for another mini-pizza roll instead and bit into it.

The letters have stopped coming. Today was supposed to be the last day before she was set to meet whoever the hell he was tomorrow. Where were the two other clues to this giant puzzle? It was _not_ fair that her stupid admirer could leave her hanging like this and drop something on her the next day. Which was why she _needed_ to get in touch with Lelouch as soon as possible, and finally _put her foot down_.

She was just so _tired_ of guesswork. Tired of trying to sort out her own independent feelings. Tired of this admirer refusing to reveal his identity because he was too intimidated by her. This whole thing with Gino. And then the issue with Shirley and Lelouch. And how could she forget last night? The rest of the party may have been a blur, but her little tryst with Lelouch was clear as day. And that placed another layer that she had to sort through. After his breakup with Shirley, where did that leave her and her best friend now? Was it proper to fall back on old patterns, and pick up where they'd left off? Should she just come right out and spit her feelings at him? But what about that admirer?

 _Damn it_ _all to hell_ because Lelouch was involved in that too.

_Lelouch Lelouch Lelouch. What the hell was going on?!_

God, her week was just a hydra metaphor. Cutting off one head only for another to grow back in its place.

What a _stupid_ joke!

Still inwardly drowning in her own anxiety and confusion, she kept on munching on the pizza roll — almost aggressively. The rest of the so-called date would pass over her head. And even now, when Gino was busy telling her that he hoped things would work out in the end, she could hardly react.

Yes, she hoped things would work out in the end. And that end should come _sooner_ rather than _later_.

Because after this date, she would be marching straight to Lelouch's place to _demand_ answers to a large part of this charade.

And the heavens pity the poor unfortunate soul who would be daft enough to stand in her way.


	14. At the Beginning

" _Lelouch… What do you think it's like?"_

_Somewhere behind him, his friend's abstract question carried over the open air. And though he would have loved to dignify her inquiry with a response, he was finding it difficult too._

_He needed a finishing touch on his sandcastle. Well, it was supposed to be his and C.C.'s, but after the third tower, she'd just strayed away to pick up other pretty shells, leaving_ him _to do all the intricate carving and molding._

_So, did she deserve claim over this lovely workmanship?_

_Well, if she apologized_ properly _, maybe he would reconsider—_

" _Ow!"_

" _Lelouch, are you even listening to me?!"_

_Abandoning the side project, he turned to the enraged girl who still had the plastic shovel half-raised, tapping her bare foot on the sand, eyeing him disapprovingly. Lelouch just sighed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, letting his gaze stray away from her striking golden irises._

_What had she been asking him again?_

" _I was busy building_ our _castle, remember that?" He scoffed, half-turning away from her to pat some moist sand all over the outer rim of what he was thinking would be the battlements. "C.C.!"_

" _It's not half as interesting as what I have been_ trying _to tell you for the_ past five minutes. _"_

_He was sure whatever it was she was rambling about_ must _have been_ _interesting, but did she really have to go and poke a_ ginormous _hole into the solid sand wall he'd managed to erect after agonizing over it_ for hours _. He sadly stared at the blunder her toes had managed to make. It looked like a battling ram had gone through it, and that was_ sad _. He wanted to show it to Nunnally afterward, and she could have her dolls live in it. But now look what C.C. did…_

" _Look what you did! That took me_ hours _, C.C." He sighed heavily._

_The mischievous green-haired girl just smiled and immediately came to his aid, scooping up ample amounts of moist sand and carefully rebuilt the wall she had destroyed to gain his attention. She felt sorry that she upset him over this, but she wasn't sorry about destroying that stupid sandcastle just to get his attention._

" _It won't take you hours if I help you."_

" _What were you asking me?" Lelouch asked, joining C.C. in her quest to fix the crumbling castle walls._

" _I was just wondering about what it would feel like to… to fall in love. And how do you even know?"_

_He felt his cheeks warm at her question, but chalked it up to the afternoon sun beating down on them and their exposed bit of skin. He watched her hands work on taking a few small shells from what was left of the pile they'd gathered this morning, and couldn't help but think that his friend thought about the_ strangest _things. One moment she was being a pain in his neck, and in the next, she was asking him plenty of thought-provoking inquiries._

" _Why, are_ you _in love?" He asked suspiciously. They were twelve. Who falls in love at age twelve?_

_She only smiled. "That's why I'm asking. Because I don't really know."_

" _Do you like someone?"_

_C.C. shrugged passively. "I don't like many people, and you know that. So when I_ do _like them, I genuinely do. But how do I know I'm not in love with them?"_

_Lelouch resisted the urge to scratch his head. As far as he could tell from the books he'd read and from the movies he'd seen, and from watching his older cousins interact and talk about the subject, you just_ knew _. Whatever_ that _meant, and it was just as confusing. He'd come to the conclusion a long time ago that_ real _love was something that was abstract. He didn't know much about it yet, but he_ did _know_ that _._

_He glanced at C.C. only to find her still looking at him expectantly._

" _Why are you looking at me like that?"_

" _Because you haven't answered my question."_

" _Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I_ don't _have the answer."_

_C.C. laughed. "_ You? _Run out of answers? That's like asking for a dictionary to run out of words to define."_

_Lelouch flashed her a dirty look. He knew he was intelligent, but even_ he _wouldn't go so far as to compare himself to…a book._

" _Maybe I'm not the right person to ask about things like this." He grumbled underneath his breath._

" _All right." C.C. sighed and stretched her legs out on the sand, cupping a seashell between her hands and watched it gleam under the sun's rays. "How about this then? When you and I grow older and we're still friends, and one of us_ somehow _finds themselves in love, we'll have to tell the other what it's like."_

" _Why?"_

_C.C. shrugged. "Do we_ need _a reason_ why _?"_

_A crease appeared between Lelouch's brows. "Well, we do. Otherwise, what would be the point?"_

_C.C. shook her head fondly. Oh, her friend. Ever the boy with a determination to find out the very purpose of_ everything _._

" _Lelouch, there are things in this world that can never be properly explained. And our little discussion is probably one of those things…"_

_It didn't help matters. It only confused him_ more _. And that dumbfounded look on his face was all the entertainment C.C. really needed. So she giggled and tittered, completely ignoring Lelouch who was_ still _trying to coax a proper and logical answer out of her._

_Well, she_ did _have a reason for asking her questions._

_But who said she had to tell him? It was_ way _more fun to watch him squirm in curiosity._

vVvVv

The two men were busy lounging on the couch watching television. But the visuals on TV weren't enough to distract Suzaku from watching Lelouch out of the corner of his eye. This afternoon's lengthy discussion obviously hadn't left the raven-haired man's mind. In fact, from what Suzaku could observe, his friend just got more and more antsy as the night wore on. The brunet was just a little surprised that Lelouch wasn't even _bothering_ to hide the anxiety.

He was fidgeting with his smartphone like _crazy_ … And they both knew _exactly_ why and because of who.

Suzaku could almost see the gears turning in Lelouch's brain, debating over whether he should break the self-imposed torture and silence in favor of just calling C.C. and be done with it. But then again, there was that other matter of whether or not the date with Gino was over. Depending on how well _that_ played out, the two could still very well be out and about and Lelouch calling to interrupt would be slightly off-putting.

But then again—

Suzaku was about to open his mouth and suggest something along the lines of just texting C.C. to get the information he needed, but Lelouch's phone vibrating and lighting up to signal a barrage of text messages was the answer to Suzaku's unorthodox prayers.

Lelouch studiously ignored Suzaku watching him like a hawk and read his best friend's texts silently with pursed lips. They were mostly one-liners but the majority of them were where-are-yous and requests to get together and talk. Each message nailed down the fact that he had some explaining to do. She didn't mention anything about Gino and their date, and although that filled his mouth with an unpleasant taste, he'd made up his mind that he was just going to come out and talk.

It was _useless_ to try and drag out this charade for longer than he should.

At the very least, her call to meet rose a bit of hope in his doubtful mind. The only reason C.C. would demand answers was because she'd found out something she didn't like and she found it confusing. No word of Gino from C.C. yet, but maybe Suzaku _was_ right about the blond's character.

"Thanks for having me over, Suzaku. I need to go."

Green eyes watched intently as Lelouch snapped to alert and began gathering his things, slipping the valuables into his pockets. And unbeknownst to the other man in a rush to leave, the brunet hid a smile and mentally patted himself on the back, content with the knowledge that he'd done his part in bringing the two would-be lovers closer together. It wasn't going to be easy, but he had a good feeling about this.

Suzaku followed Lelouch out into the small foyer, watching his friend shrug a coat on and step into his shoes.

"No more hiding, yeah?"

On any other day, Lelouch would have retaliated with a smart-alecky quip or two, but the seriousness of the situation easily wiped all manner of joking from his mind, leaving only sheer determination to do what he had failed to before. So Lelouch merely flashed Suzaku a small smile, before nodding once and turning to open the door—

—Only for him and Suzaku to yelp in an undignified manner as a familiar face greeted them both on the other side of the threshold, her arm raised and poised to knock.

"I came by to ask Suzaku where you were because you weren't answering your phone, but I guess I don't have to."

C.C. deadpanned, effectively masking her surprise at this sudden turn of events. Her pretty golden eyes drifted from one boy to the other, slightly amused at their bewildered expressions. Was it such a surprise that she had decided to pay Suzaku (the _one_ person other than her that Lelouch would spend time with) a visit after failing to receive word from her elusive best friend?

"Why didn't you just drop by at my place to wait for me?" Lelouch asked curiously, recovering from the initial surprise.

C.C. shrugged nonchalantly, still feigning disinterest though her frayed nerves told her otherwise. "Thought about it. But I'm not heading home just to fetch keys when it's easier to meet you wherever you are instead. But of course, _you_ are obviously _eager_ to ignore your phone, so I had no choice but to come and ask Suzaku since you left with him this morning."

"Wha— I _was_ going to call you after heading out." Lelouch protested indignantly.

"So you spent all day here, or what?"

Suzaku, who was momentarily forgotten but now remembered, stared sheepishly at the two as he rubbed the back of his neck when they both looked at him. He had been all for getting them to talk, but he hadn't been expecting it to happen _right here_. He was opening his mouth to say something only to be interrupted one more time as C.C. spoke up.

Lelouch gasped at the feel of C.C.'s tight grip closing around his forearm before she proceeded to tug on it to lead him elsewhere.

"Thanks for keeping him alive, Suzaku."

"C.C.! You _don't need_ to— Ow! Where are we even headed?"

"Somewhere we can talk, boy. I have had _enough_ of the games. I'm wringing the truth out of you even if I have to stop eating pizza for a day."

Despite the fact that he was struggling to right his footing on the pebbled road that was Suzaku's driveway, Lelouch couldn't help but smile at C.C.'s latest frustrated statement.

"Give up pizza for a day? That's _extreme_ for you."

Golden eyes narrowed dangerously as she glanced at him and tugged on his arm some more, _demanding_ that he keep up with her fast-paced walking. She didn't care if he was going to be huffing and puffing by the time they stopped. His _absurd_ lack of stamina for physical activity was _his_ problem not hers. Plus, she was pissed.

"Not as extreme as the beating you and that _stupid_ admirer will get when you spit out the truth and I give you two _hell_ for leading me in circles."

The mention of C.C.'s source of frustration lodged a knot in his throat that he had to clear the way before he even began to speak again, forcing a teasing lilt into his voice. Now, if she noticed and chose to ignore the obvious blunder — or didn't — was up for debate.

"Nobody said you had to give it _a lot_ of thought, C.C."

She was unimpressed and shot him a scathing glare. "And if it were _you_ , your anxious butt wouldn't even stay still. _You're_ the one with a hard-on for over-analyzing. _Not._ Me."

They stopped walking when they arrived at the small grove of trees close to the exit of Suzaku's family home. The immediate lack of motion let the unspoken tension settle in heavier. And although there were only a few seconds of silence between them, it felt so much longer as each one quietly tried to sort through a barrage of thoughts and questions that they wanted to ask the other.

"Lelouch—" C.C. finally began after what seemed like an eternity of standing still and trying to find the words to aptly communicate. "—you have explaining to do."

She was expecting some sort of smartass remark — a retort worthy of internet memes — as was his customary response to her quips and her teasing. But sometimes, it was easy to forget that when the situation called for it, Lelouch was more than capable of hearing what the other person had to say.

"That I do."

"It's almost one full week since this… admirer came to me through _you_ with ridiculous love notes. I was glad to take the bait, Lelouch, but no further. Not after— Not after everything that's happened this week. _Especially_ between you and me. And just after you called time on your relationship with your girlfriend too. This whole admirer business is what's causing me the most confusion, and I think it's best to clear that matter up before I progress further in untangling knots. You're the only one who _knows who he is_. And as much as I trust you and your choices when it comes to me, I _need to know_ , _Lelouch_. I need to know who this person is, so we can settle things properly and move on."

He _knew_ what he'd done had thrown C.C. into turmoil, but somehow, hearing the affirmation from her own mouth let guilt settle even deeper into his sinking stomach. After what he'd done, and after what he'd put her through, he really didn't _deserve_ a chance. He needed a miracle…

Unfortunately, it was only a miracle C.C. herself could give.

"I get it. I'm sorry, C.C. I'm sorry for causing you distress, and how me not considering things properly has led to this… mess." He sighed deeply, and she watched him dig into his pocket and fish out another folded note. "The last letter."

What use did she have for another letter? What good would taking it, acknowledging it, and reading it would do?

"Lelouch, I don't need this anymore." She muttered, turning her head away from his outstretched hand and the plea that was evident on his face. "Please just tell me plainly."

"Humor me for the last time, please." He graced her with a warm and tender smile, one she often only saw whenever he was in the presence of his younger siblings. A smile he'd given her a couple of times in the past, and one that she remembered she shouldn't deserve.

"I'll tell you who he is right after you read."

_If she doesn't figure out who he is by the end of it, that is._

C.C. narrowed her eyes at him, unimpressed. She _sincerely_ hoped he knew that they were _wasting_ time. Nevertheless, she could never tell him 'no'. Well, most of the time anyway.

Lelouch endured her scathing glares and didn't protest when she snatched the token out of his hand.

"You're such an insufferable _brat_."

He only mustered a light laugh, inwardly promising that this was the last. At the very least, the contents of his last note would leave little room for misinterpretation — or so he hoped. It was his best bet. And his last.

With a gentle hand, he coaxed her to sit with him on a patch of nearby grass, patting the spot next to him. There were no smart remarks from her this time around and she complied easily.

"It's probably longer than usual. But I can wait."

vVvVv

_My Love,_

_There are a thousand ways to begin this last letter. I could have started with your name, by all intents and purposes. But I chose to address you by how I see you instead, my Love. For that is who you are to me — the beautiful and enigmatic woman I've been watching from a distance and have been slowly falling in love with ever since the day I met her._

_Apologies are in order — from me to you. This was not how the last letter was supposed to be written. It's a letter that came too late, and I want you to know that I'm sorry for failing to be bluntly and completely honest with you. It's just that I was unsure about how to tell you, and wasn't prepared for the kind of response you might have to a man like me coming clean about intimate feelings I've harbored for so long. Well, I'm prepared to tell you now._

_After eleven long years, I've finally come to acknowledge the truth that I tried to smother in favor of keeping things between us comfortable. We push each other away — hold each other mutually across a thin boundary. I am guilty of this. I am guilty of holding you at arm's length when all I ever wanted was to sever that line keeping us separate, so I could have you the way I want to. With my feelings out, and you fully knowing._

_It's quite ridiculous whenever I think about the amount of time I'd wasted trying to deny my own feelings. And in a bid to keep our friendship the way it was (in its comfort zone), I went and sought affection from another._

_And I shouldn't have…_

_But I realized it all too late. And now this coward is paying the price for his actions and his decisions. Yet despite my mistakes and my shortcomings, I write this letter as a first step to righting what has been made wrong. A formal apology, and a way of communicating what can't be rightly expressed with words._

_Which brings me to the purpose of writing this._

_In the beginning, when I started being honest to myself, I realized I lacked the courage to come outright and just tell you._

_Will it, perhaps, be amusing to you to know that you intimidate me?_

_It's not a secret, is it? Perhaps you're partially blind to the men who vie endlessly for your attention, but all fail to._

_Do you ever wonder why they long for your affection?_

_I've wondered about the same thing in the past. But as the days and years flew by, I realized it was because they saw something in you — something more to the woman who wants the world to believe that she doesn't care. She does. She has concern for people more than she lets on._

_And I fail to count the number of times I was blessed enough to be at the receiving end of those gentle gestures._

_But that's only a fraction of the whole reason why I feel for you the way I do._

_It's more than just your face or your voice. It's more than your impeccable intelligence, your intuition, and your words of wisdom._

_It's all of you… From every mischievous trait to your rebellious streak. The way you think; the way you handle things; the way you see the world. It's how your eyes shine in amusement, and how your voice lilts when you call my name. How you always immediately understand with just a simple glance. It's your laugh and your smile — one I long to see every single day of my life._

_But all of this — my confession and my absolution — is only the beginning. And whether it's to be accepted or rejected is entirely in your hands. I wrote this with full awareness of every possible outcome, and I can tell you that I would wholeheartedly respect your decision regarding where we are right now._

_However you may respond after reading this, just know that it will not change how my feelings towards you as a friend and a constant companion have grown and matured into something deeper — more intimate — after all we've been through and after eleven long years of struggles, trivial fights, grand arguments, late conversations, pizza deliveries, and utter happiness._

_I will not change it for the world, Cera — my Witch, the woman who stole my heart, my Love._

_~L._

vVvVv

What was there left to say? What _could_ she even say in response to _this_? After such a dramatic confession by no other than the _complicated man_ sitting beside her…

She wasn't looking at him. She didn't know what he was doing at this moment, nor did she care. All she could possibly think about was yesterday and today — events flashing before her mind's eye like a rapid slide show. To say that it was shocking would be an understatement.

So he was— Her _best friend_ — the one person who she _thought_ would always be blatantly honest to her about _anything_ — had just admitted to lying to her, and fabricating this whole elaborate plot about a secret admirer who was far too shy to come and talk to her _in person_.

The dramatic schemes were _so_ in-character of him, and yet not.

She wanted to laugh. She _felt_ like laughing — if only to dispel the sudden awkward tension in the air and to try and see if this was all a dream and she would wake up in her bed with Mirage to a killer headache because of last night. By the gods, she wanted to laugh and she _tried_ to…

But all that tore out of her throat was a quiet yet heart-wrenching sob, followed by the awareness that her cheeks were wet and stained with clear tear tracks (that she _hoped_ were invisible in the dim lighting of the outdoors). In the gloom, she watched blankly as one tear after another dotted the precious love note she clutched between her fingers; stayed still and let her vision blur as she allowed herself to shed tears in perfect silence.

"It was all me, Cera."

His voice was quiet, and a quick glance at him revealed the sad expression on his face.

"Is it really depressing to you? To know that I love you?"

His silent query was met with a wall of silence — the one response he dreaded hearing. The only source of light they had was the glowing lamppost situated beside the pebbled driveway, but it was all the illumination he needed to see the glimmering of fresh tears on her pale cheeks — only barely visible through the curtain of green hair.

Slowly, to keep from startling her, he reached out and tucked locks of hair tenderly behind her ear, his fingertips intentionally brushing her soft cheek to clear the tear tracks. There were a handful of things that would bring tears to C.C.'s eyes. They were few but genuine. He'd only seen her shed tears twice, and both instances had been during a time when they were no older than fourteen. So, to see her like this now—

Raw, vulnerable, and open…

"I'm sorry, Cera. I'm sorry."

C.C. forced a shaking yet watery smile onto her lips, still refusing to look straight at him. Her fingers closed around the hand that tenderly touched her face. She didn't let go and only held on tighter, squeezing his hand.

Oh, Lelouch… Ignorant and careless, Lelouch…

He should've just _told her_. Eleven years of togetherness. Didn't they _both_ know better than to keep things from each other? He loved her. _Loved her_. _Her…_

Not his ex-girlfriend back in high school. Not Shirley.

But _her_ — C.C. He loved the Witch who was always intent on making his life as difficult as possible. He loved this complicated, selfish, and stubborn woman. She'd shed tears because of this, didn't she? Thoughts, emotions, and words swirled around her head in one chaotic mess, and though she felt like she was drowning figuratively from the heavy confession he'd just unloaded (had spoken with his lips), she begged herself for recollection.

Her wish was the same as his, was it not? They shared mutual feelings in this regard. He'd nearly butchered his chances because of his silence and his lies, and she didn't want to go down that same route. That was why she needed to tell him. To tell him _now_ before her silence gave him the wrong impression.

They still had plenty to sort through. But _this_. Her _truth_ would be enough for now. No more lies. No more hiding.

So before her own thoughts and feelings could overwhelm her completely into silence, she squeezed Lelouch's hand tighter and murmured quietly in a voice that was hoarse and breaking from all the emotion.

"You should have just told me." She turned to face him fully, and her heart twisted all over again at his face crumpled with doubt and sorrow. "Maybe then we could have avoided all of this."

He pursed his lips and refused to look away from her. He'd accepted long ago that he would take her rejection with dignity, but thoughts were easy. He could _never_ walk away from her even if it would cause him pain. His spirit would break and it would crumble, but all the same, he would always be willing to let her walk all over him in favor of keeping her happy.

She watched as two pools of rich violet slowly glimmered in the dim light. And so she looked straight at _him,_ and only him as she mustered a small smile before revealing the love she long sheltered in her fragile heart.

"Maybe then, I could have told you… that I love you too."

_That I love you too…_

She… _loved_ him too? His feelings weren't rubbish? Rather, she returned them in full?

Still filled with wonder and pleasant surprise, he held her other hand and peered at her face.

"C.C., I—"

She shook her head and cut him off. She didn't want to hear another word. There was only one thing she could possibly want in this moment, and that was to be close to him. She wanted to close the gap that had always kept them separate — wanted to cross that line he'd mentioned in his love letter.

"No more talking, please. Please, Lelouch."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Do what your heart is telling you."

She hadn't expected him to understand such a cryptic response, but of course he did. He did understand, and he obliged her in full; for recompense, for affirmation, and for simply doing what they had both unwittingly wanted to do for so so long.

He was tender and careful with her as he leaned closer and closer and closer…

Those familiar pair of lips covered hers again, pressing insistently and lovingly as their mutual actions sought to draw them closer and closer to one another. His hand moved to cup her chin, tilting her head up slightly so her lips molded better with his. She slowly released his hands in favor of slipping her arms around his shoulders, returning his kiss with as much love and honesty as she could muster.

The world had melted, and pleasant buzzing filled her ears. His arms wound around her waist and brought her to him — onto his lap, until she couldn't tell where her breath began and his ended. Until her own heart only cried his name and sought to be one with him.

They'd kissed plenty of times before, of course, but this single moment in time was different. And it was the most heartfelt. It suddenly felt as if they had returned to their earlier days of getting to know each other. This kiss was tentative and slow and spoke volumes and volumes of what words failed to convey.

"I love you, Cera."

_As do I, Lelouch…_

_As do I._


	15. All's Fair in Love and War

It was a perfect day for sitting outside and hanging out with friends. With the fresh air blowing through the less busy streets, the bell tinkling above the cafe door every time it opened, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries out of the oven; the atmosphere was picturesque — jumped straight out of a rom-com movie.

Milly had excellent senses and an eye for the finer things in life. No wonder she'd suggested they come here since their afternoon was free of classes.

It was a lovely afternoon for appreciating the good things about being alive. But Shirley felt out of place in all of the positivity — not when her mind was crawling with all sorts of depressing thoughts. And all of them involved her ex and what had happened at Gino's party.

"And what has _you_ staring out into space, hm, Shirley?" Milly gave her friend a knowing smile, following her faraway gaze before that knowing smile shifted into something more wicked. Coyly resting her chin above the backs of her hands that were folded atop each other, she crooned. "Ooooh… You've found love again, I see."

"What are you talking about, Milly, I would never—"

Shirley's cheeks flushed a bright red when she realized which direction she had been staring at and what was actually there. It just so happened that a man was standing at the other end of the pedestrian walks, and she wasn't even _gawking_ at him to begin with. Her friend was so easy to presume sometimes. Turning to Milly again, she found the blonde sporting that cheesy grin that usually meant she was just kidding.

"Still hung up about Saturday night, huh?"

Hung up about Saturday night? Well, of course she was! To be fair, she hadn't planned on seeing him, or running into him. Hell, she didn't even _know_ he would be _there_. She came to that party with Milly and the others with every intention to drown her sadness in alcohol. Because everyone did it, and it didn't matter if it was careless. She was entitled to _at least one_ reckless instance in life, right?

And her reckless actions led her to one of the most embarrassing memories she could ever dig up. Her resolve to stay away from her ex had been _solid._ Well, up until he appeared before her like a knight in shining armor while she doubled over a toilet seat and rid her stomach of alcohol. All she could think about then was her misery, and her want for him and his familiar presence that only grew stronger and stronger the longer she let him touch her.

She'd kissed him, didn't she?

It was foggy, but it was there — if she looked through the murky smoke hard enough. The kiss had been one thing, but his rejection towards her advances were another.

Milly only sighed when Shirley failed to answer her question. "Well, I can't blame you. If _I_ had netted the boy of my dreams, and was let down afterwards, I'd be pretty bummed to."

The redhead picked at her half-eaten cronut. "Sometimes I wonder why did it have to be him."

Milly watched her friend sadly. As much as she rooted for C.C. and Lelouch since _forever_ — since she'd laid eyes on them at campus, she felt undeniably sorry for her hurting friend. The day Shirley had broken the news about her romantic relationship with the University Student Council Vice-President, Milly could _never_ forget her own elation. Positively _thrilled_ at the fact that Shirley had _finally_ gotten together with her all-time crush.

From a distance, Shirley and Lelouch had always appeared as the perfect and ideal couple. He was always a gentleman, and she was the epitome of a maiden in love. A simple glance at them and one couldn't _possibly_ think that something could go wrong. But it did, didn't it?

That little fantasy world had crumbled to dust before Shirley's eyes, and Milly had never felt more dejected for her friend as the day Shirley had come to her home in tears and mumbling broken words. The redhead hadn't disclosed the full details of her fight with Lelouch, but it was easy to deduce after a while, what had caused the rift. Days later, and she still _didn't_ know the full story. And as much as Milly wanted to grill Shirley for complete answers, she knew she shouldn't. Couldn't, really.

She'd know the whole story when her friend was ready to talk…

"That's just the beauty of love and life, isn't it? You never know where it's going to take you. Despite all the pain and the heartache."

"Yes." Shirley stared at Milly's hand covering hers on the table, and choked back a dry sob. "But no matter where it leads, I will always love him. And only him. Call me crazy, but I think I was born to fall in love with him."

"Give yourself some time, Shirley. Perhaps he will always have a place in your heart, but that doesn't mean your other half isn't out there — waiting for you."

Funny.

The thought of falling in love again — of finding another man who would shower her with affection; it felt so small. It was miniature compared to the dreams and the wishes that she had for her _and_ Lelouch. It had been so _perfect_ too. Her and the campus' most desired bachelor. To be recognized as his woman was a dream come true, and something straight out of a fairytale book.

But as sweetly and as quickly as their story began, it had ended abruptly too…

" _Shirley… I don't deserve you. I'm not meant for you."_

If he had given her a better chance — if _fate_ gave her a better chance, maybe she could have shown him that she _was_ meant for him. She'd lost to a woman he'd known his whole life.

If their situations were reversed; if _she_ had been his long-time best friend and he had only met C.C. briefly, would he have loved _her_ or C.C.?

" _You deserve someone who could make you smile endlessly. Not leave you in tears like I did."_

But she didn't _want_ anyone else who could make her 'smile endlessly.' Only one man could do it, and he had fallen out of love for her.

She sorted memory after memory, analyzing and trying to figure out where she could have possibly gone wrong — searched for that specific moment that drove him away from her. Should she have been more challenging? Should she have been more aggressive when their physical intimacy had begun? Did she fall short at romance somehow? What could she have done to keep him interested?

Tears welling in her eyes, she stared at her friend's concerned face from across the table and aggressively brushed her tears away with the inside of her wrist.

They say things happen for mysterious reasons, but it still didn't change the fact that it hurt. It didn't make things better. It was still painful.

"I think I'm done with romance for now."

vVvVv

Lelouch detested navigating through the 5PM rush hour, but couple that with an extra insistent friend teasing him through the phone, and he knew he really had a recipe for disaster if he wasn't careful.

" _So we're not going to talk about how you two turned my front yard into your personal make-out zone last night?"_

Oh for the love of— If he wasn't busy keeping his hands on the stirring wheel or switching gears, he had half the mind to show Suzaku where he could shove his teasing. He'd answered the other man's call thinking it had been something urgent since Suzaku kept calling when he failed to pick up the second time. It started out like that at first, with Suzaku asking about Euphy, but then it transitioned to something else, and Lelouch _knew_ he wouldn't have answered if he'd known _this_ was what he was going to be subjected to (until he was free from traffic that required the major part of his concentration anyway).

" _I really hate to say that I told you so, but… I tooollldd you soooo~"_

It was bad enough that he could easily picture Suzaku with that ridiculous grin while doing other things while he was on the phone. Lelouch groaned exasperatedly, shifting gears and switching lanes after seeing a break in the stuffed up crowd.

"Suzaku, did you really just waste your time to call me about… _this_?"

The other man laughed — the sound slightly distorted as it left the phone speaker. _"Am I annoying you?"_

"Frankly, yes."

" _Good. You deserve it after the hell you put me through just_ trying _to convince you that she likes you and all."_

"You'd have thought that the knowledge that you were right would be rewarding enough as it is already." Lelouch muttered under his breath as he overtook a white sedan trying to steal his place amongst the trudging vehicles.

" _I'm going to milk this victory for all it's worth, actually."_

"Prick."

" _Says the dude who made out with his girlfriend on the front lawn last night."_

"Why do you _even care?_ "

" _Because it was my property?"_

Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and easing up on the clutch a bit, he breathed a sigh of relief when the lights changed from red to green.

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself. I'm off traffic jam, so I'm hanging up." He was reaching for the phone perched in the holster on his dashboard to end the call when Suzaku spoke up hastily.

" _Oh okay. Still, though, I'm real happy for the both of you."_

Suzaku couldn't see, but the corner of Lelouch's lips turned up in a small smile anyway. To be fair, Suzaku _had_ been one of the few people who had seen through his and C.C.'s ridiculously naive denials and had the balls to confront them about it separately. He had gripes about Suzaku's insistence, but he had been right in the end.

"Thank you. Really."

He pictured Suzaku shrugging in that nonchalant way of his. _"Have fun."_

A brilliant flush crept up his neck at his friend's choice of words. He knew the context was completely innocent, but it seemed Lelouch could mortify and surprise himself once in a while with how easily his mind could roll into the gutter.

His date with C.C. was meant to be their way of a nice and healthy start to a hopefully long and thriving relationship, but he certainly wouldn't complain if one thing would lead to another and they'd end up doing more than they had agreed on — again. Either way, he'd have fun. And it was all just about to begin.

vVvVv

' _I'm in your living room, C.C…'_

' _My room…'_

Sliding the phone back into the confines of his pocket, he took the familiar path through her home and reached the furnished whitewashed door to the side of the short hallway. There was no one in C.C.'s room, but he could hear the water running in the shower adjacent to this one.

He let his eyes roam over the pastel blue walls and the lavishly decked out bed, the sheets barely visible underneath different articles of clothing scattered about. Buried in that mess (or should he say, snuggling) was Mirage — her pristine fur the only telltale mark that set her apart from the rest of the closet throw-up. She was curled up in one of C.C.'s turtleneck sweaters.

For as long as he could remember, C.C. was always one of those girls who haphazardly scattered their things everywhere when they were in search of the perfect outfit. Quietly laughing to himself, he tried to sit as silently as he could on the edge of her bed — wary of the sleeping baby only a foot away from where he had chosen to sit.

"You love sleeping just as much as _she_ does, don't you?"

Mirage's short bushy tail began lashing from side to side as she peered up at the familiar human staring down at her with equally curious purple eyes. Smiling at her eagerness, he reached out and stroked her lovely fur, scratching her favorite spot behind the ears. She decided that she liked the feel of being pampered with his gentle strokes, so she clumsily clambered up onto her short legs and pounced onto his lap, yapping loudly all the while. Startled, he barely managed to catch her wriggly body before she slipped off the bed entirely, but he did, and he let her settle, and his sole ended up disturbing an inanimate object under C.C.'s bed instead.

He had every intention to just check and see if he damaged anything fragile, but a quick look at the shiny metal case instantly compelled him to sneak a peek. Lelouch knew he probably shouldn't, and that C.C. would have his hide if it was something personal for her, but he figured he was a _little_ entitled to 'snooping around.' After all, didn't _she_ always go through his things like it was _her_ business? Those unsolicited actions resulted in embarrassing discoveries on her part — from _humiliating and atrocious_ childhood photos to ridiculous gifts his family or friends had given to him in the past as a joke.

Yes, C.C. knew his most embarrassing stories. And did she treat them nonchalantly like any other friend would? _Of course not_. It was always fuel for good blackmail when it came to her teasing him just so she could have her way. But he wouldn't have it any other way — wouldn't trade those unabashed interactions for the world. And frankly speaking, Lelouch didn't care if she knew all his humiliating moments. Better her than total strangers.

Popping the clasp that held the metal case closed revealed sets of photo albums stacked on top of the other.

_How peculiar…_

Taking one out, he shifted Mirage carefully on his lap so she was only occupying one thigh, and he was free to accommodate this apparently lovely photo album. Page after page were filled with pictures of either him or her or the both of them. His younger self grinned up at him in one photo, standing next to a laughing C.C. and a giggling Nunnally, while Rolo was caught grumbling in the corner.

She kept these? There was more than _one_ photo album. In fact, she had four. All were incredibly thick and filled with photographs perfectly preserved. Silly faces and bright smiles; so many sulking pictures of him next to an impossibly smug green-haired Witch. They all had one thing in common though…

Happiness.

"So even _you_ have a sentimental streak, don't you?"

"And what makes you think it's okay to snoop around the stuff under _my_ bed?"

Closing the gap between them in quick strides, she came to stand before him with her arms folded across her chest, wearing naught but incredibly short shorts and a camisole top. The rest of her hair was invisible underneath a blue towel perched on top of her head.

"It's not snooping when you leave them out for the world to find." Chuckling, he glanced back at the open photo album on his lap, half of Mirage's head lying on top of one of the pages now. "Plus, _you_ have been looking through _all_ of my things, and you hardly hear me complain. We're even."

C.C. snorted good-naturedly as she rummaged through her vanity drawers for the regular skin care products she used after a shower.

"No, you just _whine_ like a baby."

He ignored her quip in favor of staring at _her_ instead. All of that bare skin on show as she hastily moisturized her face in the mirror. He'd seen a lot more, of course — in the not so distant past. But he would be lying if he said he wasn't sorely tempted to skim his fingers across the length of her arms.

"It's sweet that you kept all these pictures of us through the years." He smiled wistfully as he caught the answering blush, stark on C.C.'s pretty face.

"I didn't do it for you." She snapped at him, hastily dusting pink powder across her cheekbones to hide how flustered she was with Lelouch's compliments.

_Why did he have to have a silver tongue?_

"And… uh… You're not planning on wearing that to dinner, are you?"

Thigh-length jean shorts, and a camisole top. Dab a bit of nude makeup on, and she'd be all set to hit the club — by normal standards, and if she was going for edgy and attention-grabbing. She _could_ leave the house just like this, and watch Lelouch's flustered face as the night wore on. But then again, she had plenty of time to tease him later, and he deserved relief after days (and perhaps years) of thinking she wouldn't ever look at him romantically.

C.C. hummed thoughtfully at him, catching the way he was looking at her through the mirror. "As much as I'd enjoy your beet red face if I do, I'm not that scandalous. Don't think I don't notice you _staring_ at me like the creep that you are."

She barely contained her giggles as she tossed the wet towel (that had been around her hair) at his bewildered face. Snatching the offending fabric off of his face, he sputtered and gave her a _look,_ retaliating loudly — enough to spur Mirage into excitement.

"You told me to come here!"

"No I didn't. Just told you where I was. You came here of your own volition, Lelouch."

"Touché."

Looking back, she'd _only_ told him that she was in her bedroom. No invitation to come inside whatsoever. He only showed himself in because he knew she wouldn't mind, and that was his automatic response — just like her if the situation was reversed. But maybe he would have thought twice about it if he knew that he was far more likely to fall victim to her relentless teasing that way.

But then again, _two_ could play at her game. And to _hell_ , if he was going to back down.

"You don't even plan on leaving this room while I change." She called over her shoulder as she extracted a navy blue Vanessa dress from the confines of her open closet.

"I don't see the point when I've seen everything there is to see." He smiled wickedly, before adding as an afterthought. "Unless you want me to step outside, of course."

Lelouch was wicked. But let it never be said that he wasn't a gentleman when he wanted to be. And yes, she _could_ ask him to leave — to let her change in peace. But where was the fun in _that_? Besides, he had a point. He'd seen her naked (and vice versa) countless times before. It was useless to start being bashful around each other now.

"Nah…" She waved him off, all the while speaking as she searched for the perfect pair of shoes. "Stay. I might need your help later anyway."

He should've known that the moment she uttered the word 'help,' she had suggestive things in mind. From a clever brassiere malfunction (done on purpose) to her needing help with zipping up the back of her dress. She shivered pleasantly at the feel of his warm fingertips skimming across the length of her back. Laying his hands on her shoulders when he'd finished, he smiled at their reflection and fastened the necklace he'd given her some time ago around her neck.

"Ravishing."

C.C. gasped softly, his hot breath ghosting over the side of her neck as he pressed his lips to the back of her ear. The hands that had been firmly set on her shoulders deftly glided over her arms, retreating when he reached her elbows; leisurely moving them to caress her amply accentuated waist. Heat pooled at the pit of her stomach as he flattened his palms over her abdomen, and his lips lightly grazed her cheek.

Deciding to indulge him and his wanton desires, she turned her head the tiniest bit so they could share a kiss — the first of many for tonight. She sighed into his mouth when one of his hands smoothly traveled upwards with the intention of fondling her clothed breasts. A light touch on his wrist cut him short and she pulled away (but just barely), to speak.

"We should go. It'd be a shame to have reservations canceled when you worked so hard to set it up all week."

Chuckling under his breath, he simply settled for chastely kissing her lips one more time before he released her from his hold. As much as he would have loved to continue the steamy little interaction they'd created, he knew she was right. He'd slaved over dinner reservations at that place. They couldn't _not_ go.

"Will my lady be kind enough to join me then?" He offered her his arm after he'd sketched a princely bow.

Lelouch and his theatrics. He was always quite the drama king, wasn't he? Rolling her eyes, C.C. only shook her head and took his proffered arm, the other hand grabbed the cream colored purse she had lying around on the bed, only all too eager to see where this night of romance was going to lead them.

vVvVv

Dinner reservation for two in a secluded and private booth, sweet classical music, warm and dim lighting, a server who came at their beck and call. The very room they had been relegated to was the textbook definition of a romantic dinner date. She would have scoffed had it been anyone else — thinking that they were trying too hard to impress. But since it was her best friend (turned lover), it wasn't out of character.

Lelouch had outdone with himself with choosing the venue. Of course, she expected nothing less from the man who went out of his way to concoct elaborate schemes just to woo her — and confuse her in the process to.

It still felt surreal, knowing that a week ago, the two of them had been perfectly comfortable inside that friendship bubble. So, in a way, she was grateful for Lelouch taking the tiny step forward and luring her into his unprecedented secret admirer business.

"I really did think your letters were sweet, you know." She smiled into her spoonful of strawberry parfait, peering at him from underneath her lashes and smiling in amusement at how suddenly his confidence took a nose dive. "You had me sold when you gave me the coupons." The red at the tips of his ears traveled to his cheeks as he kept picking on his own parfait. "But I love Mirage the best."

He cleared his throat, staring straight at her with those piercing violet irises she reveled in seeing so much. "You told me they were obnoxious. And ridiculous."

"Well, they were. But who knew that such a straight-laced person like you could ever write such _horribly endearing_ lines?"

A sly smirk wormed its way across his lips as he cocked an eyebrow at her, quick to notice the slight flush in her own cheeks. "There's nothing wrong about growing a garden and putting our tulips together. Or when I told you that you looked like my future girlfriend." The smirk grew into an infuriating smile. "You probably wouldn't have qualms about being on my to-do list, either—"

"Ugh, _stop_." Groaning, she chucked a bit of leftover parsley at his general direction — inwardly glad that they were situated privately, tucked away from the prying eyes of other diners. She'd hated for the rest of the public to suffer through his atrocious stab at decent pick-up lines. "Your innuendos are _not funny_."

And yet despite her words, she blushed prettily all the same; only too mindful of his fingertips skimming the back of her hand, tracing random patterns on the skin.

"And yet here you are, falling in love with me in spite of them."

She watched their fingers intertwine together on top of the table, his thumb grazing the small links on her bracelet. He sounded so sure. Not that he was wrong anyway. It made her think all over again how much easier and painless it would have been for everyone else if she and Lelouch had stopped dancing around each other long ago.

"I suppose it's my fault too." She muttered, abandoning her dessert, and gently squeezing his hand.

"Hm?"

"Maybe I should have just worked up a courage to tell you that I lovedyou. I'm a selfish person, Lelouch. I would never deny that. But your happiness was one I cared about genuinely. And you looked so happy with her in the past year, and I couldn't bear it if I ruined that."

"You loved me even then?

His words triggered an onslaught of memories. One after another, they flashed before her mind's eye. All their childhood memories, the start of the affair that loosened something in them both, her own emotional suppression and denial, the whirlwind they'd been thrust into a couple of days ago…

"Maybe I always have. Who knows?"

He didn't say anything in response for a good moment, losing himself in her eyes — absorbing every word she'd just uttered. They'd made their fair share of mistakes. But for what it was all worth, they were here now — together. Working to right the wrongs, he'd take each step with her, one at a time.

"Then isn't it fortunate that we chose each other in the end?"

The answering smile he received made him forget all he had gone through and what he had yet to suffer through in the hands of consequences. Because that smile and the love glimmering in her beautiful eyes, was all he ever really wanted in order to feel contentment.

And for the umpteenth time tonight, Lelouch could only marvel at how fortunate he was to finally have her by his side…

vVvVv

As their night together wore on, they strayed from gloomy discussions and into much-welcomed light-hearted banter and titillating conversation — one that had every nerve in her body tingling with delightful anticipation for what could happen tonight. Smiling into her third sip of fine red wine, she coyly peered up at him through her lashes.

They were at the end of their dinner date. Her man had asked their server for the check some time ago, and now she was watching him sign the receipt with noticeable flourish. All the while, he pretended to ignore her calf running up the side of his shin.

"I didn't know you were such a wealthy man." Propping her chin up against her palm, she flashed him the tiniest of teasing smiles.

"Apparently, our server didn't know that either." He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

He was irritably and absolutely charming when he wanted to be, wasn't he?

He tucked the silver card back into his wallet and stood from their seat to take her hand, so they could leave this restaurant with its prized dishes that catered to their lovely appetite tonight.

The rush of cool night breezes greeted them when they stepped outside. Standing next to each other by the driveway — where they waited for the valet to arrive with Lelouch's car. The hum and the drone of conversation in the restaurant faded to muffled sounds as the doors closed behind them, leaving the charming couple alone — standing underneath thousands of twinkling lights wound around the trimmed bushes and lining the exteriors of the restaurant.

His arm lightly slung around her waist, he gently pressed her closer to him before he put his lips to her ear, breathing a silent inquiry that summoned pleasant shudders rippling through exposed skin.

"And what else would my lovely Cera like to do on the night of our first date?"

Smiling prettily, she laid her cheek comfortably against his shoulder, intertwining their fingers together as she told him in a sweet sultry voice what his lovely Cera wanted them to do for the rest of their beautiful night together.

vVvVv

His love was a sweet and loving woman when she wanted to be, and that was in full display tonight. So it was easy to forget just how devious that clever mind of hers could turn into at the drop of a hat.

The ride home had been nothing short of enjoyable and pleasantly arousing. Of all the ways he had expected it to go, he hadn't quite been prepared for the soft hand that discreetly wandered to his crotch and boldly palmed the growing bulge between his legs. He had warned her when she first did it, but any scathing remark of his had been deflected with merciless teasing and even more unseemly touches that only served to torment him.

At the very least, he was grateful she hadn't done anything too drastic, or anything that endangered their lives as he drove through the streets to get them both to his duplex (because it was closer). And by the time he'd managed to park his car in the proper spot, his mind was too far gone into sensual excitement to bother with anything else. All he could think of was paying her back for the delicious torture she made him suffer through ever since they left that restaurant together.

Impatient, he kissed her hungrily when they both managed to leave the car, her whole body leaning against the chassis for proper support. One hand at her waist and the other at the back of her neck, he threaded his fingers through her hair and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Gasping breaths escaping with each brief parting, her nimble fingers began unfastening the buttons on his neat coal dress shirt, exposing bits of his bare chest to the night air. Her pleased moans traveled down his own throat when he slid his knee between her legs, lightly rubbing against her center.

A loud noise from the adjoining duplex next door rightfully interrupted a would-have-been scandalous scene, seeing as they really didn't have intentions in stopping anytime soon. And the longer they stewed and drowned in sensual kisses, the harder it was to step away from one another long enough to unlock the doors and indulge in some private business.

But Lelouch pulled away, nevertheless — keeping her hand in his. C.C. watched with thinly veiled impatience as he worked on finding the keys to unlock his stupid front door. He barely had the threshold open when he swiftly stooped down and kissed her roughly, one hand around her waist, the other clumsily guiding them inside.

"You're quite impatient and hungry tonight, aren't you?"

She was _such a tease_ , with her soft touch and warm wispy breath fanning across his parted lips.

"Says the vixen who seduced me the whole ride home." He shot back smoothly, and C.C. unabashedly grinned at his smart quips, staring up into his face with heavy-lidded eyes.

His hand came up, delicately framed the side of her cheek, and brushed his thumb soothingly across her lower lip. Her own hands had conveniently wandered to his bare chest while the other continued the tantalizing task of freeing each button from its hold, until his dress shirt hung loose on his lean torso.

Nuzzling her cheek, he left a teasingly chaste kiss at the bridge of her nose as he held her close. "I'm going to take my time with you. Touch you and kiss you until you drown in ecstasy."

As if she needed a reminder of what they intended to do tonight, she gasped as he closed the small gap between their bodies and promptly ground his hips against hers, reminding her _all over again_ of what they had started a year ago — what they failed to finish when they had given in to their suppressed desires that night at Gino's party. Heat simmered in her abdomen as a familiar and slick wetness slowly began making itself known. And she could only whimper and mewl in anticipation as he murmured into her mouth, all the lovely things he wanted to do to her when she would be laying prostrate across his bed.

"You're all talk, for someone who wants the lovely prize between my legs." She giggled into the kiss, excited and fully aware of his fingers slowly unzipping the back of her dress — revealing the smooth skin at her back.

"I'd rather talk now, since my mouth will be busy with _other_ things later."

He helped her out of her dress, until she was standing in his foyer in naught but her high heels and the special set of matching lingerie she'd worn just for the occasion. She sighed as his lips latched on to her jaw, creating a trail that led to her collarbone, and she craned her head to the side, giving him as much access as possible to all that glorious skin. Her own hands trailed over his bare arms (as he'd discarded his fully unbuttoned dress shirt seconds ago) and interlocked across his broad shoulders.

Whispering for her to hold, he picked her up and swiftly tackled the stairs until they arrived at his bedroom and he placed her on his bed. Hovering above her prone form, caging her in with his body, he indulged her in a sweet and heady kiss — tilting his head ever so slightly to the side to accommodate every angle of her tempting lips. Her soft hands cradled his face as she parted her soft lips, inviting his tongue in so it could play with hers.

The first time he'd _really_ kissed her was a memory he couldn't forget. And back then, their kiss had been tainted with hesitation and slight fumbling. But as their trysts grew in frequency and after they'd both come clean with their feelings, it was easy to see just how _pleasurable_ a tender kiss could really be.

Pulling away at the same time, he stared into her amber eyes as they took shallow breaths. Those beautiful pools of gold glimmered softly in the light of his bedside lamp — their only source of illumination in the gloom. Her eyes were dazed, filled to the brim with emotion and such contentment — not that _he_ was any different. Her projected feelings were but a mirror of his own, and it was comforting to know that she was wholeheartedly entrusting herself to him in this very moment. That she wanted to do this _with_ him and _only him_. It was easy to forget that they'd never wholly given themselves to each other before (what with how close they were).

But tonight was different. He wanted her to have him just as much as she was willingly offering herself to satiate his growing appetite.

With reckless urgency abandoned in favor of relishing the moment, he reached around her and released the clasp that held her lacy brassiere together. _She_ was busy undoing the buckles on his belt at the same time, fluidly slipping off the leather from the loops and letting it tumble to the polished wooden floor with a finalizing _thunk_.

She gasped and moaned as he kissed her throat and shamelessly cupped each of her breasts in his hands. Gently, he teased her nipples and alternated between stroking and kneading the fleshy mounds. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to focus on unbuttoning his pants. But her efforts paid off despite the rather pleasant distraction, and they pooled around his feet just before he kicked them off along with his loafers, so he could trap her even further against the padded headboard.

"Mmm… Let me touch you." She hoarsely murmured, threading her fingers through his raven locks while he busied himself with taking each of her breasts into his mouth.

Tongue grazing deliciously across her nipples, she held onto him tighter.

"Lelouch."

Releasing her left breast with an obscenely wet pop, he peered up at her through long and dark lashes. She took that as her chance to place sweet kisses across the bridge of his nose while her hands worked on slipping his boxers off. By the gods, she wanted to hear him moan — cry out in absolute bliss because of her ministrations. And she was going to do just that.

Gently pushing him over until he was laying on his back, she draped herself across him, covering his nudity with her own as she lightly grazed her lips across his neck. She found his excited pulse and began to suckle, relishing in the sound of a strangled moan tearing its way out of his throat as she paid special attention to his sweet spots. His hands were warm against her bare skin and as he tenderly stroked exposed flesh.

She smiled deviously to herself as her hands mapped out his torso and his stomach before her fingers closed around the hot column of flesh standing at attention between his legs. His hands closed into tight fists, effectively wrinkling the bed sheets as her talented hand teased him, played with him, pumped up and down in a steady and insanely pleasurable motion. Grinning, she watched precum seep from the slit as her thumb rolled over the tip of his straining erection.

His breathing was hoarse, uneven, and labored — harsh gasps and loud moans filling his bedroom. Deliriously, their eyes met as she smiled at him before wrapping her lips around the swollen head, slowly, slowly letting his cock sink into her mouth, stopping just at the top of her throat. Breath hitching and heart pounding, he grunted at the heavenly sensation assaulting his senses as her actions brought him to a high he never thought he'd experience.

Oh it was _so good_ … Her warm and tight throat; her tongue closing around his shaft and nudging the tip. All of it. His head was spinning, senses drowning in immeasurable pleasure as she dangled his impending orgasm above his barely sane mind. With every stroke of her hand, every nudge of her tongue, the coil in his stomach grew tighter and tighter — until that rapturous sensation robbed him of all coherent thought; until his head was cleared of all notions save for the lingering image of her crouched over him and her lips wrapped around his cock as it slid in and out of her talented mouth.

It was satisfying to see that she had pleased him so much. The sight, the sound, the feel, and the _taste_ of his arousal and his raging libido made her feel giddy — positively _gleeful_ at the knowledge that _she_ had made him this way. Had him _begging_ for more and expressing his satisfaction in the loudest way possible.

His back bowed off the mattress as he subconsciously held her head down — the other hand still abusing the rumpled sheets beneath him as he came. She groaned as she instinctively drank the bitter fruit of her efforts. She easily slipped him out of her mouth, coughing and crudely wiping her lips as his thick seed slid down her throat.

"Cera…" Was the only name he could utter as he lay there, still in a daze — still blearily looking up at the ceiling after that mind-shattering climax.

Peppering kisses across his bare chest, she looked up at the sound of him roughly calling her name. She was granted with the lovely view of his flushed cheeks and his fluttering eyelids. He cupped her chin, tilted her face up, and closed the remaining distance between them as he kissed her again — tasting himself in her mouth. Subconsciously, blood began to flow south again as he easily capsized her onto the empty side of the bed so he was now above her, staring at her lovingly with impossibly beautiful violet eyes.

He began to suckle one of her breasts again while his hands drifted to her stomach and grazed the skin above her panties. A pretty flush rose on her cheeks as she silently wondered if he knew how wet she had been as she sucked him off, and now she was teetering on the edge of having all that slick wetness dribble out of her in arousal.

Moaning into the heavy and steamy kiss, she writhed helplessly underneath him as he began rubbing a finger across her covered slit. The evidence of her want for him slowly staining the material she had so carefully picked for tonight. It was so hot and so good. She wanted to clench her thighs together — if only to give some form of relief to the growing ache between her legs, but no such luck.

"Lelouch," she sighed, wrapping one arm across his shoulders as she tilted her head up and moaned. "Just do it… Ngh~ Take me, _please_."

He stopped teasing her long enough to gauge her reddening face and her impatient golden eyes. Smiling deviously, he slipped two fingers through the crotch and tugged on the lacy fabric that covered her modesty.

His fingers barely brushed her glistening opening as he placed soft kisses on her pink cheeks before whispering into her parted lips. " _You_ took your time with me. I want to do it to you too."

Oh those skilled hands. One slowly stroked the flesh at her inner thighs, the other had successfully slipped the panties off of her, tossing it into an unknown corner of the room, joining the other recklessly thrown pieces of clothing and footwear. Her soft gasps followed as he slipped an eager finger into her. Quietly, he relished in the sound of her pleasure and at how _wet_ she was and how _slick_.

Pumping the lone digit in and out, electricity shot through every nerve ending in her body as he added a second and then a third finger; stretching her so wonderfully just to prepare her for the intrusion of his thick hard cock. She gasped and threw her head back, her groans filling the room again as he — for lack of a better word — fucked her with his fingers. His other hand wandered from one breast to another, rolling the stiff and sensitive nipples between his fingers.

Oh he was _so good_ at this. But _of course_ he was. He'd done it to her plenty of times before, and the year they spent in celibacy didn't change how good he could do her with just his fingers. His mouth around one breast, she continued to buck her hips in response to his actions; as he rubbed the pads of his fingers along her inner walls and pressed his thumb insistently on her clit.

Body trembling with excitement, she strained against him — working with him to reach her inevitable climax. He fingered her faster and faster until the spaces between his fingers were sticky and slick with her essence — until she was a hot and moaning mess on top of his sheets. Breathing hard and head still spinning, she watched breathlessly as he presented her with the view of him licking his fingers clean. Eyes drilling into her, he sucked each digit free of her slick wetness — telling her without words how deliciously erotic she tasted.

Gently, he spread her legs even more as he settled between her thighs. Laying himself across her — his hot erection laying heavily between them, he gently cupped her face and gifted her with a sweet yet impossibly heady kiss.

Laying on his bed with the weight and the comforting warmth of his body above her, she was reminded all over again that this wasn't some passing fancy — not a mere dream that she would wake up from, all hot and bothered. It was all reality. His flushed skin, and fire simmering in her veins. The hunger in those purple irises that she so adored, and the desperation imbued in her amber orbs. His erotic touch leaving a trail of pleasure across her skin, and her hot breath fanning across his ear. Limbs tangled together amid the rumpled sheets, basking in love that grew stronger with each passing day.

"I love you, Lelouch."

She sighed blissfully into his lips as he smiled at her and took the liberty of leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses across her jaw, down to the side of her neck. He paused briefly when he arrived at her pulse, and whispered his own confession into her sweat-slicked skin.

"Cera, I love you too."

"I need you. Please."

Her body writhed underneath him, whispering her plight against his lips as she readjusted herself so the slightest bit of movement from him would easily sink the tip past her aching quim. It was a need only _he_ could satisfy — a thirst he alone could quench, with his steady movements and rhythmic rocking. It would be their _first_ time. That wasn't lost on him no matter the pleasure he experienced at her hands tonight.

He had _plans_ — plans to make them last all night, where he'd drive her closer and closer to a precipice until she'd teeter and fall over, right into bliss. But his careful plans had slowly crumbled into shambles after what they'd done. And now he was just desperate — as she was. He didn't want to endure it any longer; simply wanted to be with her in ways only a man and a woman can be.

Gaze unwavering, he pulled away from her the tiniest bit and took hold of his cock, giving himself some much needed strokes — an action that wasn't lost on her as she stared and all but drooled at the thought of that girth sliding inside her tight warmth. She was so ready for him, so wet and unbelievably slick. Parting her folds slightly with her own hand, she felt the weeping head of his cock slip past her lower lips.

Her eyes snapped shut as the rest of her mind honed in on a single sensation. The feel of him sliding into her bit by bit was a strange combination of good and slightly uncomfortable. She could feel her inner walls expanding — adjusting around his girth as he took his time sliding inside her.

"You feel so good, Cera." He murmured into her neck, nuzzling her jaw and planting butterfly kisses on her cheek.

The first time was always coupled with discomfort on the opposite sex's part, and he understood that. He only wished he could make good in his promises to make her forget that hiccup and focus on the mind-numbing pleasure he was eager to give her instead. Exuding patience, he paused briefly in between slipping his cock farther up her tight and warm pussy, so she could have time to get used to him being introduced into her body.

"Lelouch, I—" Her breath hitched as she writhed underneath him and looked at him with beseeching eyes.

"Sh…"

She appreciated his efforts in making her comfortable. His hands sliding from her abdomen to her breasts, kneading the mounds and teasing her nipples as he left kisses on her neck. Seconds passed, maybe a couple, before her body completely relaxed and she was reduced into a softly mewling mess underneath him. Now all she could think about was his throbbing cock inside her, while her walls had a pleasant time tightening around the appendage — now glad for the intrusion.

"Cera… I—"

"Move." Was the only word she could utter before surrendering into another hot kiss.

He groaned into her mouth and pushed his way in smoothly, grateful for the absence of obstruction. Breaking the kiss, she buried her face into the crook of his neck and whimpered as he began rocking his hips in a steady rhythm; pulling out halfway before burying himself straight to the hilt. Her hot breath and keening moans in his ear was but encouragement to keep pushing them both to the edge of ecstasy. With each firm and steady thrust, she sighed and gasped and moaned, crying out her arousal — letting him hear her satisfaction, her _pleasure_.

Because he was just _so good_. Slipping in and out of her like that, her slick wetness aiding seamless movement.

"Oh yes… I want you. Yes, Lelouch! Oh, you're so good… I— I— More… More… Harder, _please_. Lelouch…"

He loved it. Loved hearing his name spill from her lips in utter bliss. With her fingernails leaving crescent marks on his back, her legs wrapped around his waist, the heels of her feet pressing into his bottom — urging him to burrow further into her tight wet warmth; just _begging_ for him to pound her into the mattress until reason gave way to instinct. Naught but the need to feel release and reach completion inside her.

So he complied with her pleas — simply tired of taking his sweet time when all he wanted from the beginning was to plunge into this delectable heat and just _head to town._ It was what she wanted after all. And she cried out her appreciation as the pace quickened, and as he pounded her with urgency — so fast and intense as they both indulged in roughly satiating their desires. She bucked her hips in time with his, producing a rhythm all their own. So tight around him, so hot and moist. And it was so _damn_ good. So heavenly that he almost regretted not doing this to her a long time ago — _almost_.

"Lelouch, yes! Ah!"

"You like that, Love?" He growled, pace unwavering. "You like me doing you, don't you, Cera?"

"Aahhhh! Lelouch, I— Oooohhhhh, yes. Yes. Oh you're so _good_. So… good. Ohhhh!"

Pleased with her response, he shifted his weight backwards, bringing her with him. He buried his face into her chest as she sank down on his hard and throbbing cock. His hands busied themselves with groping her behind, watching with a perverse grin as his fingers sunk into fleshy globes. Too far gone in the throes of mind-numbing pleasure, she simply threw her head back and wailed her satisfaction for her lover to hear. She wanted him to know that she felt _this good_ because of him. Wanted him to know how much she was enjoying herself as he rocked his hips and thrust into her with deliberate motions.

"You're so wet for me, Cera." He rasped into her ear, leaving open-mouthed kisses on her erogenous spots. "So tight… Ugh… And so hot."

Growling, he held her hips in a tight grip, guiding her as she gyrated her hips in sync with his frenzied motions. The sound of the mattress springs squeaking in protest beneath them coupled with the smack and squelch of their bodies coming together only served to excite them both. It was scandalous, not to mention the fact that they both knew their loud moaning could be heard in every room of the house. But what did they care?

"Mmmmhhh… Oh god yes! Lelouch~ You're so… So hard… and— And so… Mmmh… So good. Ooohhhh… Your cock. It's— Oh yes… Yes… Yes~ Lelouch!"

The feel of him just burrowing and plowing into her was finally enough to send her over the edge. White spots in her vision, she closed her eyes tight as her body shuddered in response to such a strong orgasm. Stilling her motions and stiffening against him, she held on tighter as indescribably rapturous sensations wracked every nerve ending in her body. All sense of touch zeroed in on the feeling of him ejaculating inside her. His face contorted; a loud and long and drawn out moan left him as rope after rope of semen splattered the back of her womb…

It felt so good and so hot. Those inner walls tightening around him so much, milking his cock for all it was worth until he completely emptied himself inside her. So good that it was enough to convince her that she wouldn't be getting over such sensations for a long long while — especially because she was doing it with the man she loved.

C.C. was the first to fall — limp and exhausted — onto the bed and its sweat-soaked sheets when the last wave of pleasure ebbed away. Completely spent, Lelouch followed soon after and collapsed beside her.

He shifted onto his side to face his lover with her dazed and pleased expression and her sexily tousled hair. Too tired for words, all he could utter was her name as he pressed his forehead against hers and tried to catch his breath.

In the aftermath of their coupling, it was easy to relapse back into the worries and the circumstances he still had to face. But in favor of this moment — and this memory he wanted to cherish forever, Lelouch pushed all thoughts of complicated problems from his sex-addled mind.

And just as sleep slowly began to threaten his resolve to stay awake and watch _her_ drift into slumber first, the last thing he saw before complete unconsciousness claimed him was Cera's serene face and her impossibly beautiful smile — his favorite view to fall asleep to.


	16. Loving and Losing

Her lover had roused her with ardent kisses across her body. His lips pressing lightly against her neck, those talented hands roaming over every inch of bared skin; as the weight of his body and its accompanying warmth hovered over her own.

To say that the feeling was exhilarating would be an understatement. It was actually quite surreal. And especially because she refused to open her eyes to the bright morning sun she knew would be shining through his window. The light would probably reveal the messy state of his normally immaculate room too — their clothes strewn about the floor.

For now, she cast aside all other thoughts and focused on his steady breath against her skin, on the tantalizing strokes of his skilled hands as he caressed and touched her body, on his lips closing around her ear lobe, nibbling ever so gently on the sensitive bit of flesh. Oh it was good. And so unbelievably erotic… In voluntarily depriving herself of sight, every loving stroke and doting kiss was amplified. The feel, the scent, the _taste_ of him was rapturous.

Her mouth parted seamlessly as he kissed her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Still drowning in sensory bliss, her arms instinctively wrapped themselves around his broad shoulders, eagerly pressing every dip and curve of her body against the shape of his own. She let him explore her for the second time in a row — welcomed the tip of his tongue grazing across the roof of her mouth, sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

She couldn't resist smiling when his lips left hers. Eyelids fluttering open, she greeted those smoldering irises with sultry eyes. She cupped his cheek and brought him closer again, nuzzling his face as she left butterfly kisses across his sharp cheekbones, accepting the weight of his body and the evidence of his excitement resting lengthwise across her abdomen.

"You're so insatiable this morning."

He smiled, relishing the feel of her hot breath on his mouth.

"And I don't hear you complaining."

She shook her head slowly, whispering how she wasn't complaining indeed. With a wicked smile, she reached down the narrow space between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his girth. She grinned when he gasped and groaned in response to her hand pumping up and down slowly — torturous in her strokes. A few more seconds of languorous petting and he stopped her when he gently placed a hand on her wrist.

The protest died in her tongue when their lips fused together again as he drugged her with slow and heavy kisses that left her feeling like the room had been spinning. It took a moment to regain her bearings — staring up at his pristine ceiling, before a gasp tore itself from her throat.

He grinned up at her with wicked delight; his agile fingers steadily gripping the soft flesh at her thigh as his face disappeared between her legs. The momentary surprise had easily been replaced with a loud and desperate cry of his name as he teased her lower lips with the tip of his tongue, while his free hand paid special attention to the budding nub between her swollen and slick folds. Delightfully thumbing her clit, he smiled against his morning meal and didn't waste time taking what he could.

Hot fire and bliss hummed in her veins, placing her in a long yet slow ride full of sexual ecstasy. Oh he was _so good_ … That tongue was _too talented_ and _so_ wicked, as it probed and flattened itself against her inner walls, eliciting hisses and moans and writhing motions — struggling to free herself from such blissful torture, yet wanting more of it all the same.

Overcome, her hands subconsciously trailed towards his head, pale and dainty fingers sinking into locks of midnight black, silently urging him to do more; because if felt _so good_ and so inexplicably euphoric. Hips began moving, undulating, slowly rocking and impaling herself even further into the tongue slithering around her pussy, lapping up her essence with obscene slurping.

"Lelouch," she gasped breathlessly. "Why— Oh! Why are… you so— so good at this? Ah!"

Her insides convulsed as his fingers came around her hips and gripped her plump bottom — long fingers sinking into soft flesh. He kept at his ministrations, inwardly proud of the way her damp thighs quivered. He grinned against her slick folds, and with each restrained gasp and escaped moan, he held her until she came undone — writhing and panting as she pressed his head closer and rode out her first orgasm. Rising from the comfortable spot he had found between her legs, he glanced at her face and at her eyes narrowed to half mast complete with the glorious crown of green hair tousled atop her head.

She looked _so messy_. And to hell if it wasn't turning him on…

Unabashedly, she watched him rise to his knees and clean his fingers one by one. Those gorgeous violet irises drilling into her as he licked and sucked on the digits, taking care to not waste a single drop. Body still trembling from the aftereffects of pleasure, she slowly propped herself up on her elbows and tilted her head back when his body hovered over her own again. Hands clamped around her waist, he pressed her onto his torso just as she arched her back and spoiled herself senseless with his sultry and dizzying kisses.

Tongues tangling, her hands on his arms, her breasts flush against his chest, and his cock just an inch shy of fully penetrating her again. She could _feel_ him there between her legs, the tip brushing teasingly against her swollen clit and her flaring lips. Sneakily, she tried to slide herself lower to impale herself on that length, but he had caught on to her motions and adjusted their bodies accordingly so she couldn't. A frustrated whine left her lips and he grinned mischievously as he worked on leaving bluish imprints on her skin.

"Lelouch." She mewled desperately, not even caring about how needy she sounded. There was an ache between her legs and she wanted him sliding in there to satiate the hunger that he had caused.

"On your hands and knees, Cera."

_Oh…_

She shivered at his hot breath beating against her ear. Docilely, she obeyed and got on all fours, hands and knees sinking into his soft and messy mattress. She sighed appreciatively when he draped his body across her back, his arms tenderly winding around her torso as his hands found their home in cupping her well-rounded breasts and its erect nipples. He kneaded them for a bit, eliciting another delightful and pleased moan out of her as his shaft idly pressed itself against her slightly parted lower lips, stimulating her with the movement of his body — not that she needed the preparation with how wet she was.

Without so much as a warning, he sheathed himself in her heat, both of them sighing in completion and appreciation. The warmth of his body left her back, and she would have moaned at its absence had he not immediately begun to move. Undulating his hips, he rocked them both slowly for a few moments, each thrust and stroke pushing him closer and closer into pleasure's abyss.

Moving in and out of her like that — it was indescribably good. The room filled with loud panting and moaning, coupled with the creaking of the bed frame beneath them and the headboard hitting the wall from time to time.

"Oh yes… More. _Please_. More, Lelouch. Ohhh! Yes! Uhhh— Ohhh—"

"Ngh! You're so _wet_ , Cera."

And indeed she was… The smacking and squelching was telling enough, coupled by the lewd noises they were both making. He thrust himself up to the hilt and rotated his hips languorously, enjoying the sensation of exploring her insides thoroughly with his cock. The action earned a delighted moan from her and a gasp with each time he repeated it.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. Ngh! Oohh! Yes."

"Ohhh! Yes, Lelouch! Don't stop. Yes! _More._ Ooohhh— You're so _good_."

Groaning, he massaged the globes of her butt, laying a smack to her plump rump and a loud and pleased whimper from her in response. Dropping down unto her elbows, she cried into a pillow, voicing her ecstasy and how much she wanted him to take her faster and harder, until she was a mess and dangling just above the pit of utter oblivion. Never been one to disappoint, he easily complied and pounded into her — throwing out his back as his hips drove forward at a maddening pace, until his legs were straining and her lovely derriere was bright pink from the harsh yet pleasurable treatment.

"Lelouch~" His name came out in a drawn out moan as her hands made fists on the pillow case. "Yes! Oh! I— I'm… Almost there. Aaahhh!"

"You're so… Ngh. So _damn_ tight. Oh, fuck…"

The way he was burrowing into her, pounding her, exerting his power and his dominance — it was arousing. Nestled deep into her pussy, she squeezed his cock, relishing the feeling of how _hard_ he was. His girth stretched her wonderfully, feeding the ache that festered deep in her belly, fanning the flames that coursed through her veins.

Closer and closer, faster and faster, he drove her to the very brink until she teetered over the edge and completely fell. Body convulsing in absolute bliss, she whined onto the pillow she'd nabbed. Still riding high from that orgasm, her walls subconsciously clamped around his shaft, deliciously milking them for all they were worth.

"Oooohhhh~ Yes! Uhh~"

"Oh fuck… Ngh…"

Growling and panting above her, he sighed deeply — in utter satisfaction — as he filled her with semen again. He moved his hips slowly, gradually riding out his own orgasm.

Blissfully exhausted from the effort and covered in light films of sweat and cum, her body sagged against the mattress. She was suddenly aware of how tightly he was gripping on to her bottom. It wasn't long before another weight joined the bed.

Lelouch collapsed and rolled over to face her, still panting slightly from the early morning romp. When he saw her watching him, he flashed her a dastardly smile, before moving closer to her and placing his arm around her waist. His hands comfortably settled over her fleshy bottom, kneading her butt gently now that the sex had resolved. She was still sensitive, and her nerves hadn't yet completely gotten over the climactic high, and the barest of his touches made her shiver and press her thighs together.

"If we could start every day like that, I certainly won't complain." He chuckled, planting a chaste kiss on her shoulder when she abruptly turned her back on him out of childish spite.

"Of course you won't mind, you pervert." She smiled knowingly as his arms wound around her again, brought her to his body and spooned her amid the rumpled sheets and scattered pillows.

"Quite hypocritical when you were begging me to take you all this time." He growled into her ear, nipping at the earlobe before deliberately pressing his half-hard cock against her soaked folds — thanks to their legs tangled together.

C.C. hastily turned her body back around so she was facing him and his smug smile. Cupping his jaw in one hand, she brought his face closer to hers and sweetly gave his lips a chaste kiss; right before she settled for tracing the lines and edges of his face with her fingertips. He sighed against her fleeting touch as it ghosted over the arch of his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, all the way down to the curves of his sensual lips.

He reached up between the sheets, took the hand that traced his face and kissed the tips of her fingers reverently.

"We may have just missed the better part of our morning classes." Lelouch mumbled absentmindedly; right before his gaze drifted to C.C. who displayed naught but nonchalance to the notion of skipping college classes.

"I forgot it was the weekday." She snickered into his chest, burrowing closer into the warm that his body emitted. "What time is it?"

Out of habit, he reached for the phone on his nightstand, only to find that it wasn't there. But _of course_ it wouldn't be there. There had been no such thing as a nightly routine last night, after all. And in his haste to get his lover into bed, all preconceived notions of a bedtime ritual had conveniently departed from his mind.

And now that he was thinking about it, just _where_ had his phone gone?

He merely sighed in defeat and relaxed against C.C. "My phone's not here."

"Neither is mine." C.C. mumbled, slowly falling into the land of nod all over again.

Knowing full well how lazy his best friend could be in the morning, he stole a playful kiss and vacated the bed with its messy sheets and rumpled duvet. The rug underneath his bare feet was thankfully warm, and Lelouch took this is a moment to survey the damage that had been done last night.

Sure enough, remnants of their late night passion littered the room. Articles of clothing were strewn about. His belt was nowhere to be found, and his trousers were pooled at the floor. And were those C.C.'s panties?

Under normal circumstances, he knew just seeing his room this messy would be enough to trigger a migraine. But not today, of course. Not today when he was still riding high from the bliss and still enjoying the afterglow of exemplary sex. With a patient sigh, he began gathering their scattered clothes in a bid to locate his missing phone and clean up a bit; far-gone and only half-aware of the bullion eyes following his every motion as he moved around the space in his birthday suit.

Snuggling into his comfy bed, C.C. pulled the duvet up higher on her shoulders as she basked in the warmth and enjoyed the view of Lelouch digging through his dressers for fresh pairs of underwear, an old t-shirt, and sweatpants. Relishing the silence of a tranquil morning — completely uninterrupted, C.C. let her eyelids close once more, only opening them again when she heard him padding across the room to stand at her side of his bed.

He was looking at her rather bemusedly, a hand on his hip like a real diva.

"You can't stay in bed all day, you know."

"Sure I can. I missed morning classes. Might as well take the entire day off. Besides, I don't have responsibilities like you, Mr. Vice— Lelouch!"

Her excuses did her no favors, and she could only yelp in pleasant surprise when he cocked an eyebrow at her words, slid his arms underneath her body, and lifted her bridal style — naked and all — from the bed in mid-protest. Heartily giggling, she linked her arms around his neck and cooed at him.

"If you're suddenly feeling strain, you better not drop me."

Lelouch chuckled lowly and self-consciously shifted her weight in his arms. He'd done it on a whim, and to surprise her — which worked, but to be fair and honest, he really _was_ never one for weightlifting. Instead of giving in to her teasing, he only smiled and placed his forehead on hers, their noses brushing.

"Don't you trust me to hold on to you, C.C.?"

She blushed prettily at his words — not having expected such a loaded question. "Of course I do."

Smiling, he kissed her lips lightly before he lowered her back on the bed and ran a hand through his hair — quickly taking note of how much he needed a shower. But food first because he was starving, and he knew she was to. She _had_ to be. Their recent activities had demanded quite the muscle workout.

"Get dressed. You and I need breakfast." He smiled at her as he pulled an old t-shirt on.

C.C. sat up in bed, stretching her body lazily like a cat. And to tease her new boyfriend too. She could feel the weight of his gaze as it landed on her and watched her body in full display. Smiling to herself, she pretended she didn't notice.

"Lelouch… My clothes are at home."

"And?"

At that, he cocked an eyebrow at her as he leaned against his chest of drawers. He was still considering a quick-witted response that concerned either her dress probably pooled on the foyer downstairs, or the option of completely naked since they were _technically_ alone and could be as spontaneous as they want. In the end, all manner of responding was put to waste as she shook her head, approached his drawers and seamlessly found herself a fresh dress shirt to wear.

"Where's my dress?" She asked nonchalantly as she combed her fingers through her hair.

"Downstairs. And it's perfectly wearable."

C.C. smiled as she let herself be steered from preening in the mirror and towards the door. "Your point?"

"Why steal my clothes if you have a dress?"

Just like the mischievous witch that she was, she only flashed him a coy smile. His hands were heavy on her hips, and she whirled around to stop him in his tracks while her back was against the door. She toyed with the collar of the dress shirt that she wore as he leaned closer and nuzzled her nose.

"You've never complained about me stealing your clothes before. Why start now?"

"Perhaps because I prefer you'd not wear them anymore."

His words would have been an innocent refusal to let her borrow his clothing. But the hand that traveled from her hip to her bare stomach under the shirt told her his words were anything _but_ innocent. So he preferred her naked, did he? She didn't blame him. Because after last night, he'd made her hungry for him again — like she'd never been before.

He was leaning closer to kiss her when C.C. giggled and turned the lock behind her, effectively dancing out of the way just as he had tried to snatch a kiss. Lelouch _did_ manage to catch the long sleeve of the shirt that she wore and pulled her outside of the room while his other hand tucked stray locks of green hair behind her ear, though. She was so giddy this morning, giggling happily and light on her feet even as he walked her against the wall adjacent to the door and barred her escape.

"You can be _such_ a pervert."

Those golden eyes sparkled in the morning light, teasing him through a laugh.

"I wouldn't be if you aren't such a tease half the time…"

She didn't protest when he took the kiss she had evaded a few seconds ago. Her eyes closed as the kiss deepened and Lelouch stood closer, one hand on her lower back. Tongues entwining, she sighed into his lips and lost herself again in his affection. She kept her eyes closed even after the kiss had ended. It was all too surreal yet wonderful. When she finally opened them, Lelouch sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, speaking lowly before he cupped her chin and pecked her lips.

"We'll never get to the kitchen…"

vVvVv

Contrary to his words, they _did_ make it to the kitchen and Lelouch found his phone lying around the end table adjacent to his front door. She laughed at him when he swore colorfully at Milly Ashford's eleven missed calls and insistent text messages. She could still hear him replaying voice messages as she led the way to the kitchen. And unbeknownst to him, C.C. smiled at his hyperactivity.

Reality had caught up to them it seemed. The moment they left the bedroom, the universe had a way of bringing them back to the present. It was easy to forget about responsibilities and worries when she and Lelouch were copulating and cuddling underneath the sheets. But then again, you couldn't have everything…

"You're needed in the University Student Council, aren't you?" C.C. grinned, twirling a lock of hair around one finger and spinning her phone on top of the table.

"Unfortunately." Lelouch hummed. He hadn't bothered to call Milly back, and that was largely because he wasn't in the mood to answer curious questions. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"I ordered us pizza. You're welcome."

"C.C., I told you—"

She waved off his protests in favor of digging through his fridge for a cold glass of… something to drink. Lelouch had a penchant for keeping his apartment stocked with all the necessities, and C.C. was very appreciative of that. He usually had fruit juices in the fridge, and milk. Fishing out a carton of Four Seasons, she picked her way around his kitchen for two glasses.

Lelouch let her finish pouring drinks into each one, and watched her intently as she took sips of the cool beverage. That is, before he decided he'd had enough of her disrupting his morning habits and being so damn tempting.

She very nearly spat out the cool drink when a familiar mouth covered hers. For a second, she'd considered jabbing his side for interrupting her as uncouthly as he did and for being so _damn_ horny. But she didn't blame him. Not really, when she herself felt the same way. He didn't give her much time to process further or protest either as he slid his knee between her thighs and applied friction to her center.

Lips parting cautiously and simultaneously, she groaned as juice poured from her mouth onto his. Thin streams of Four Seasons rolled down their chin, staining the shirt she had borrowed.

Thoughts of dirty clothes left her mind as he eagerly cupped the bare breasts under her shirt again, rolling the stiff nipples between his fingers. He roughly hoisted her up onto his kitchen counter, while his lips latched on to the skin behind her ear. Sighing softly, she slid her arms around his shoulders and bucked her hips when she heard the fly zip open.

He gave himself a few much needed strokes, and briefly toyed with the idea of teasing her by rubbing himself against her opening again. Deciding against it in the end, he kept one heavy hand on her hip to steady her as the other slid her underwear off — leaving it to dangle on one ankle. She gasped loudly, joining his loud grunting as he dipped his cock into her pussy. The hot moans against his ear sent blissful shivers down his spine as he took one breast into his mouth and began moving his hips, sinking further and further into hot and velvety, sopping wet folds.

He released her breast with a loud and wet pop, before switching over to the other breast to pay it special attention. Her fingers threaded through his hair, massaging his scalp as she cried out in ecstasy, mewled appreciatively, and praised him for being so good at what he did. In a bid to bury him deeper, she swiftly closed her dangling legs around his waist, pressing the heels of her feet against his bottom, closing her lower body around him so he could pound away into her as much as he liked.

Safe to say, it wasn't going to be easy just trying to get enough of this… It simply wasn't…

"Ugh— You like that, Baby?"

"Ye-e-esss. _Oh yes!_ Lelouch~"

"Lelou— Oh HELL NO!"

Suzaku shouted in surprise and abruptly turned tail from the archway leading to the kitchen, returning to the foyer still screaming about how he just stumbled on something he never wanted to see in his entire life.

Thoroughly interrupted and sufficiently traumatized, Lelouch cursed colorfully as he struggled to shrug his clothes back on, all while trying his hardest to assist C.C. in salvaging what little they had left of their modesty.

" _Why?_ Just _why?_ " Lelouch growled, remembering a specific moment months ago when his younger brother Rolo had walked in on a similar scene in the kitchen back home.

"It's a sign that you should stop initiating sex in the kitchen." C.C. deadpanned, completely buttoning up the stained shirt and covering herself decently again. "On the bright side, Suzaku didn't see us naked."

"That doesn't make it better." Lelouch huffed, sparing the spilled juice on the counters a glance and assessing the damage on his own shirt before picking his way through to confront Suzaku.

C.C. shook her head and chuckled. Looking at the bigger picture, it wasn't _that_ big of a deal. As far as she was concerned, when you did it in the communal areas of your own house, you always run the risk of getting caught in the act. Sure, the privacy was breached and she _was_ embarrassed, but her passivity when it came to things like this always brought her through. At the very least, Suzaku's priceless face was more than enough consolation. She would get lip for this mishap from Lelouch later, but part of the blame rested on him too.

She could still hear snippets of the boys' argument from in here though. It made her smile knowing Suzaku was happy for the two of them _finally_ being together, but also loudly proclaiming that whatever she and Lelouch did when they were alone was "unfit for his pure eyes." And of course, Lelouch being Lelouch, he was _evidently_ taking measures to divert the topic of conversation from the unwarranted interruption to _why_ Suzaku was in his duplex apartment — something about University Student Council matters.

Maybe Lelouch shouldn't have ignored Milly's persistent calls then…

But it wasn't _her_ problem. C.C. shrugged and leisurely made for Lelouch's room upstairs. (The foyer was empty now since the boys had moved to the living room).

She needed a shower. As much as she would have _loved_ to finish what she and Lelouch had started in the kitchen, now wasn't the right time. _Now_ , they had to deal with real life — as her new boyfriend learned that fact the embarrassing way.

vVvVv

He and C.C. had been perfectly comfortable with the relationship being discreet for the first week. Not secret. Just quiet. For the sake of avoiding drama that could easily start in the hands of the University's gossipy students, Lelouch preferred that others would figure it out on their own, and C.C. couldn't agree more. And if they didn't, well what did _they_ care?

The University Student Council was a whole other matter though. He didn't know for sure if they'd caught on (and he really didn't mind if they did or didn't), but there was _one_ member of the USC whose awareness towards the relationship Lelouch _did_ want to take into account. And that was Shirley…

As the USC auditor, of course she would be present in meetings, and that meant he saw her on a regular basis — as frequent as student council meetings were. It didn't help that he could sense the tangibility of the tension in the air whenever they were in the same room together. It thickened every single time — up to a point where he _swore_ he could slice it with a sharpened knife. He didn't know if Milly knew, but he was grateful she wasn't pestering him about the matter.

Shirley only ever spoke to him _during_ the meetings, and even then, _he_ had been the one with questions concerning USC club funding. Outside of club meetings, he wasn't naive enough to assume she wasn't actively avoiding him. It didn't help that they had similar classes throughout the day too, unlike C.C. who belonged in a different college department all together.

It was so, well, awkward…

And he _hated_ it. Even more so because he knew her silence and her skittish behavior was _his_ doing. He knew he shouldn't have waited _this_ long to approach her and engage her in conversation, but C.C. had easily caught on to his apprehensiveness and confronted him about it _days_ before.

He and C.C. were in the library together during mutual free periods and his girlfriend immediately brought up his ex. She _insisted_ that Lelouch talk to Shirley and make amends, or else that relationship wouldn't have closure, and trust her word when she said he was going to have problems with this down the road. He could clearly remember the look on her face too, as she reached across the table and wrapped her dainty fingers around his wrist, gripping him so forcibly until she had his _full_ attention.

" _She deserves a proper apology, Lelouch. Not some half-assed excuses."_ C.C. had said.

And Lelouch agreed… He really truly did.

But just because he was all for it didn't mean it was easy. He knew he had been delaying the inevitable, but when Suzaku slowly began dropping hints about setting the wrongs right, and he often caught Milly looking at him and Shirley curiously, he _knew_ he had to talk to Shirley sooner rather than later.

God forbid Nunnally would catch on to the drama or even Euphy — because Suzaku; and his tendency to mindlessly ramble.

Lelouch didn't think he'd ever have the courage to do it after the stunts he pulled and the pain he caused, but he had phoned Shirley anyway and asked to meet her during free period to talk.

And so here they were…

"Hi, Lulu."

She looked him up and down, and took delight at how _dashing_ he appeared before her in dark-washed jeans, a black jacket over a light blue long-sleeved tee, a dark scarf with fringes, and leather boots. A part of her still couldn't believe that she'd been his girlfriend — only to have the relationship fall apart when they arrived at the year-long mark.

He smiled at her, and heat rose to her cheeks as she shyly looked away. _Why was she so timid?_ Wasn't this what she wanted? She'd been hesitant to strike conversations with him, thinking that he wanted nothing to do with her because maybe in his book, _she_ was the villain. But she thanked every god in existence right now for proving her wrong.

"Thanks for coming to see me, Shirley." Lelouch mustered a small apologetic smile, sitting down beside her in one of the many benches lining the edge of the massive football field. "I was afraid you were mad at me. _"_

Well, she _had_ been… But that anger had abated over the course of several days. She had had plenty of time to contemplate on things, and though it _had_ kept her up all night — just _trying_ to see where she went wrong, she had finally conceded. Because if she was going to be completely honest, perhaps she should have known better and figured that it was a fight that she couldn't win.

Was there even one in the first place?

So she _may_ have obsessively kept track of C.C. and Lelouch discreetly whenever they were at school. But she couldn't have helped it at the time. It was simply a natural response to try and _see_ what made their relationship so different — knowing that she had convinced herself in the past that Lelouch and C.C. were just stupidly close friends.

What she had witnessed and her own observations was the final nail on the coffin. Lelouch and C.C. just walking together gave off the vibe that they were a couple and somehow not. They never displayed loving affection publicly, but she had seen it in the glimmer of Lelouch's eyes and in C.C.'s small yet genuine smiles. She heard it in Lelouch's laughter and C.C.'s lilting voice. And when they _did_ touch just the tiniest bit, Shirley didn't ever think one could communicate so much tender care in a single brush of the hand, but they did. Lelouch and C.C. did.

They were so… comfortable with each other if you looked at the bigger picture. With that kind of perspective, it was nigh impossible to miss the tender emotions shared between them.

It often made her think about _her_ and Lelouch's one-year relationship. Did other people look at them and make observations the way she had closely examined Lelouch and C.C.'s love? Did anyone ever stop to notice and acknowledge with wonder that she, Shirley, was the perfect match?

They were selfish thoughts… But people could dream, couldn't they?

A man wallowing in financial debt could spare imaginations for what life with insurmountable amounts of money would be like. And Shirley could fantasize about what could have been if Lelouch was truly hers.

It was all she had of her past relationship after all… Broken dreams. As painful as that was to acknowledge.

"Why would I be mad at you, Lulu? I—" She was about trail off with explanations and a clarification on her behavior during their break-up and when they had been at Gino's party, but she caught her ex shaking his head sadly.

"I owe you so much, Shirley." A wistful smile adorned his face as he turned to watch the University football players run through their drills. "And I understand that you deserve so much more than words of apologies from me."

 _Oh…_ She had no idea what to make of that.

Closing her hands into loose fists, she stared at his profile highlighted in afternoon sun, pursed her lips, and laughed uneasily. "Lulu, you don't have to feel like—"

"Shirley, please." Those striking purple irises were staring at her now, effectively cleaving the lies from the truth; extracting her _true_ emotions from the depths of her flimsy nonchalant facade. "It will be harder for the both of us if we refuse to be honest."

There was a moment of silence where all she could do was stare at the closed fists pressed tightly to the skirt of her dress. She knew Lelouch was waiting for an answer — was waiting for _her_ truth. But wouldn't he think she was pathetic if she bared her heart out to him _now?_ That would be so ridiculous of her.

When she was alone, it was acceptable. But to cry in front of an ex and release words of pent up longing and pain just seemed silly… Because he shouldn't care! Because he was happy. Sometimes she wished Lelouch was just another one of the jerks — the men who said their pieces and avoided the problems actively right after. Sometimes she wished Lelouch _wouldn't care._

Because knowing that Lelouch _did_ care and was mature enough to acknowledge his mistakes only made the pain worse. It was the pain of knowing she could never find another man as wonderful as him. And if only he had found _true love_ with her, then maybe her world could be right again. But it never will be. And it was just that…

Tears fell, one after the other. It was slow at first, and then much faster. The drops darkened the skin at her hands and blurred her vision. Her shoulders shook as she tried to suppress ugly sobs, but they came anyway. And she flinched even more when an arm came around her shoulders and a firm hand gripped her shoulder reassuringly.

The words tumbled out, unrestrained as they left her the same way her tears had escaped.

"It… It hurts. It still hurts." She didn't lean on him and only lifted her face the tiniest bit so they could lock eyes. His face swam before her teary vision, those striking violet eyes but a splash of vibrant color against the pale skin and ebony hair. "It hurts, but I've come to accept the truth."

"Shirley…" Lelouch trailed off hesitantly, watching as she aggressively rubbed at the tears on her face.

"You should know, Lulu, that I… That I still love you." Smiling sadly, she slowly extracted herself from his gentle hold — adjusting her seating position — until his arm was left lying on the back of the bench. "And when you're in love with someone, you only want them to be happy, right? Well, I see how happy you are with her. So… So who am I to stand in the way?"

Words _failed_ him… This _woman_ …

Shirley… She was such a _pure_ soul; so undeserving of the treatment he had unknowingly pushed on her. She deserved _better_. So much better. Someone who would look at her and _love_ her truly and appreciate every inch of her as a person. And as much as he would have been capable to fill that role in her eyes, he knew he couldn't. He knew it wouldn't be him. His heart belonged to someone else…

And all he could really do now was hold this fragile girl together and be there for her like a good friend should be.

Embracing her, he let her bury her face into his shoulder, emptying herself of tears as she cried in his arms for what would be the last time.

She cried for the love that had been and had gotten lost. She sobbed for every single moment she and Lelouch had spent together in each other's company — for every moment that would remain a fleeting memory. And she shed tears for every shattered dream she had of them living a long and happy life together.

"You'll find someone someday, Shirley." Were his whispered words of comfort. "Maybe not today. And not even tomorrow. But one day. Trust me that you'll find a better man who will love you and care for you, because I failed to…"

And so they stayed in each other's arms until one of them had to part. He offered to walk her to her next class, and she accepted. And by the time they arrived, he asked for her forgiveness again, at which point she laughed through swollen eyes and a pinkish nose and insisted that he stop.

Bidding a 'see you later' with a final one-armed hug that was the start of a good friendship, he flashed her a charming smile before turning around to head back to his Witch. All the while, completely oblivious to Shirley's lingering gaze and the last few tears that spilled from her eyes.

In her heart, she knew it was impossible to dethrone Lelouch. But then again, you could never really tell what the future could bring. So for the sake of a much better start to their friendship, she swallowed the last of her heartache and turned away, choosing to believe in Lelouch's words and hoping to the heavens above that she'd find this perfect man for her someday…


	17. Epilogue: Love is Beautiful

After a year of officially dating, and more than a decade of being friends, C.C. had to acknowledge the fact that she could never quite get used to Lelouch's family. They were a rather… loud and eccentric group — especially Marianne with her swishing skirts and her flamboyant gesticulations (a flair for the dramatic that Lelouch certainly inherited).

But for all their rowdy jokes and comical personalities, she admired the way they stuck together like glue. She knew the family weren't together all year round anymore — not after Rolo's and Nunnally's fresh graduation from high school and into University life, so it was refreshing to see that they hadn't quite changed at all.

Charles still spoke in a loud and unnecessarily booming voice. Marianne was still swift to shush him one moment and then she would crack jokes or dote on Lelouch in quick succession. Rolo was still secretive. Nunnally was always chipper and would kindly try to tell her overprotective older brother that she was perfectly fine being in the kitchen by herself at times. And the family feline, Missy, would still try to sneak bites out of Lelouch's food — despite his attempts at trying to tell her off. The cousins, aunts, and uncles were pleasant people, too.

Thanksgiving was always a large family holiday for them — the holiday that preceded Christmas. And while there were times in the past where C.C. had hesitated to join out of fear of intruding, Lelouch, Marianne, and Nunnally insisted always welcoming her anyway. And that unnecessarily and overly welcome invitation tripled when her boyfriend's mother found out that she and Lelouch had begun dating.

C.C. still chuckled at the memory of stepping through the threshold of his home when her romantic relationship with Lelouch was only at the stage of infancy. Just shy of a couple of months, and poor Lelouch had been bombarded with excited questions from his cheerful mother.

Marianne hadn't zeroed in on C.C. completely for details on the wooing and courting, but she still asked her enough questions. In response, she had been content to feed the Britannia matriarch just _enough_ information to light her curiosity anew, and prompt her to bother Lelouch with detailed inquiries — much to the disgruntled son's chagrin. Lelouch had known C.C. was behind the triggered excitement, but only let her off with a stern glare then.

"— you're all grown up, and soon one of you will walk down the aisle and we would have to give a bride or a groom away."

C.C.'s self-imposed reveries were shattered after Lelouch poked her side under the table, bringing her attention to the lovely Marianne vi Britannia fantasizing about weddings, and eyeing Lelouch and Euphemia closely — the two members of the family whose relationship was quite out in the open.

As it was, only half of the table was paying attention to Marianne and her conversation with Charles, since the other half on the far end was busy discussing something else — while conversations overlapped every once in a while.

"Mother's too excited about something none of us are even ready for yet…" Lelouch released a melancholy sigh as he spooned a small portion of mashed potatoes slathered in gravy into his mouth.

Smiling deviously, C.C. glanced at Marianne who was excitedly asking Euphy why Suzaku wasn't with her when Lelouch made every effort to bring C.C. to Thanksgiving dinner. Glancing back at her boyfriend, she delicately placed a hand on his knee underneath the table, leaning closer ever so slightly — just enough so that her breath could tickle his ear when she would speak.

"You mean getting married…"

Stiffening from her light touch momentarily, Lelouch made a noncommittal noise in agreement, frowning as he sipped from his glass of iced tea when he felt C.C.'s hand travel higher.

"C.C., stop." He cast her a sideways glance in warning, all too aware of her mischievous antics. He could practically see and _hear_ the oiled gears turning in her head. She knew he hated making a spectacle of himself, and since she was always out to antagonize him at every turn, he knew he had to be weary. "We both know we're not getting married anytime soon. It's ridiculous that Mother would be making such a fuss."

"Why not?" C.C. asked a little louder, causing Lelouch to cringe. "Why _don't_ we get married?"

The last word caught his father's and mother's attention since they were the adults closest to them. Hell, even Nunnally glanced up from her food to look at her brother and at the innocently inquisitive face C.C. had sported. Face turning a darker shade of pink, Lelouch knew it would only be troublesome ever since he saw his mother open her mouth and talk.

"Married?" Marianne grinned. "Are you considering the prospect already, Darling?" She asked with glee shining in her eyes.

Lelouch was glad that the rest of his uncles and aunts were still oblivious — still wrapped up in their own conversations. Some of his cousins were paying attention now too, though. Euphy looked at him questioningly. And he just _knew_ the rest would follow suit soon. If there was something good in the world, they would be kind and forbid Clovis from _ever_ hearing the word _marriage_.

"No." Lelouch snapped in a low voice, a muscle feathering at his jaw in slight annoyance at his mother's expectant face and the teasing grin his father was giving him. God forbid Charles zi Britannia would speak in a _loud_ voice too. "A year into a relationship is not enough grounds to consider marriage—"

C.C. adopted an over-the-top pout and feigned sadness. "You _don't_ want to marry me? Ever?"

Not for the first time, Lelouch cursed the fact that his girlfriend was a wonderful actress when she wanted to be. And that she _loved_ making his life as difficult as possible. Oh, the _witch_.

Shoulders sagging, Lelouch sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, forgetting that his mother, father, Nunnally, Rolo, Cornelia, and Euphy were now their audiences. "C.C., that's not what I meant. It's not that I don't. It's just—"

"So you _do_ want to get married." C.C. grinned, placing a hand over his on the table. "I want to get married too. So, there's really no point in waiting one more year when we're fine with it now. We could even go to court tomorrow and have a judge officiate, make it official, and we'll plan a grand wedding for later—"

"No, _absolutely not_!" He thundered, bringing a hand down on the table with a resounding _thud_ that drew _everyone's_ attention. The very opposite of what he wanted and the very thing C.C. delighted in — putting her boyfriend in the blinding spotlight.

"But you just said you wanted to get married. Why are you going back and forth on your word?"

Stunned, the rest of the table was _rapt_ on the two. Everyone knew Marianne's son was quite an emotional young man (yet _very_ disciplined), so it was _dreadfully_ amusing to watch the boy and his partner trade words back and forth — a verbal tennis match. It was so _obvious_ that C.C. was teasing Lelouch, and the latter was playing into her hands like goop.

Clovis leaned closer to Nunnally. "Was this what you meant when you told me they had tendencies to argue like this sometimes?"

Giggling, Nunnally smiled into her spoon of mashed potatoes before answering coyly. "After watching them closely for a year, they're stupidly in love and ridiculously hilarious when they argue about the littlest things."

"Like true husband and wife." Marianne piped up, sighing dramatically at the sight of her eldest son still busy trying to prove that he loved C.C. while _also_ desperately trying to get out of the I-want-to-marry-you-but-not-yet mess.

"So spirited." Cornelia chuckled, nudging Euphy gently. "As much as I find this amusing, I'm grateful you and Suzaku don't do this "

It was really hard to believe sometimes that they could go at it for longer than a minute. It was _really_ funny if you thought about it and didn't take it seriously. C.C. was now pretending to give Lelouch the cold shoulder as she took tiny bites off of her portion of roasted turkey while said partner was busy trying to get her to pay attention to him again.

Times like this, Nunnally sometimes found herself wondering how her brother had ended up falling in love with C.C. the way he did. They had always been close as friends when they were children, (and Nunnally loved to play with C.C. and saw her as an older sister), and ever since she could remember, bickering was always part of the interaction. Who came out on top varied. Sometimes it was her brother. Sometimes the ball was on C.C.'s court.

But then again, whenever she witnessed their closeness and how comfortable her brother was in C.C.'s presence; whenever she saw genuine happiness in her brother's smile, the twinkle of joy and satisfaction in his glimmering purple eyes, it was more than enough to let Nunnally acknowledge all over again that she was glad he'd chosen C.C. in the end — despite all the bumps they'd met on the road before they arrived at this point.

So happy… And so in love…

Anyone who spent less than ten minutes in a room with them would know and see.

vVvVv

"Great job with dinner there. You ought to win an Oscar."

Lelouch muttered bitterly and sarcastically as he trailed after C.C. while she strutted ahead of him, Mirage following closely at her heels.

Dinner had concluded minutes ago, and they excused themselves upon C.C.'s insistence. Lelouch wasn't really in the best of moods after the stunt she pulled at the dining table and how she'd managed to poke fun at him even with his own family. It was all fun and games. And okay, maybe he _did_ find the whole thing funny. But he didn't like admitting defeat. And grinning and saying everything was okay was _conceding_.

Lelouch didn't like conceding… Not if he shouldn't have to.

C.C. wanted to visit their favorite play area when they were children, and Lelouch went along because, why not? It was almost like tradition now. Every time C.C. visited his home for any occasion, they would both visit the one place in the Britannia property that was dear to their heart.

"I know right." C.C. coyly glanced back at him over her shoulder. "And you didn't deserve my performance for you either. No applause for entertainment, really?"

Giving up the charade, Lelouch shook his head exasperatedly. "Just stop."

Their steps ground to a halt when they arrived at the tiny glade. It used to appear so big when they were kids, but now that they were both young adults and only months away from college graduation, they were beginning to see how much time had changed them both as individuals and as friends.

There weren't really any mementos left over in the little play area. The little wooden doll house she'd made all those years ago had crumbled to nothing thanks to years of weathering. The shovels and the picks she, Lelouch, Nunnally, and Rolo had used were gone — put away in a tool shed presumably. No evidence of childish play whatsoever, but it was special all the same. From the half-frozen lake to the bed of decaying red, orange, brown, and yellow leaves. There were plenty fluttering in mid-air too, drifting slowly to the ground.

Mirage barked happily and began circling, sniffing at the piles of leaves and clumps of earth. Crouching briefly, C.C. kissed her dog's fluffy white head and released her from her leash. The white Husky bolted free and busied herself finding spots to do her business and investigate for some hidden treasure.

Tucking the bundled up leash safely in her jacket's pocket, she started slightly when a pair of impossibly warm hands cupped her own and brought them up to soft lips for a gentle kiss. She turned to her previously sulking boyfriend and smiled as he intertwined their fingers and led her to a nearby tree where Lelouch made himself comfortable sitting down. He patted the space between his legs, and she gladly complied; both ignoring the slightly damp and chilly earth in favor of cuddling together for warmth in the outdoors as the dying rays of the sun filtered through the trees.

She loved resting in his embrace because it felt so secure and warm. She loved her family, of course. She'd celebrated early Thanksgiving with them to come here. But it was always different with Lelouch. And that sentiment only grew stronger after a year of basking in the fruits of affection.

She loved it when he held her in his sleep; adored him whenever he embraced her out of the blue; reveled in the feeling of laying her head against his chest at every given opportunity just to steal his warmth and take comfort in the beating heart that lay underneath.

Come to think of it, if they really _were_ being serious about marriage back there, she certainly wouldn't object. Hell, he could ask her to marry him right now and she would. Distracted, she let her cool fingers play with the loose threads on his bomber jacket, enjoying the simplicity of comfortable silence with him, wiling away their time.

"You weren't serious about the whole deal back at dinner, were you?" Lelouch suddenly spoke up, threading his fingers through her long hair as he watched her face carefully to detect underlying emotions.

She wasn't looking at him though. She was watching Mirage, who suddenly darted back into view again, carrying sticks in her mouth. Their lovely dog dropped it at their feet and darted away again, snowy and bushy tail lashing from side to side happily as she went in search of more "gifts."

C.C.'s smile was small but pretty as she looked up at him. "No. Not if it made either one of us uncomfortable."

Chuckling at the ridiculous argument they'd had over Thanksgiving food with the rest of the family, he couldn't help but think all over again that he'd fallen in love with an impossible woman who enjoyed surprising him at every turn. She kept him on his toes, and he _loved_ it. With lips quirking up into an answering smirk, his fingers stilled in their motions as he bent down slightly and pressed his lips to her forehead, before trailing south to kiss the tip of her adorable nose.

"Hypothetically, if I dropped on one knee right now and presented you with an engagement ring, what would you do?"

Frowning, she looked at him strangely… Was he cluing her in on something? If he was seriously going to propose, she didn't actually know how to react.

_Oh god, is he—_

Lelouch laughed quietly and nuzzled her cheek, inhaling her lovely scent as he relished the look on her face. Pink began to dust her cheeks, but she didn't turn away. She should've known he was kidding. The stupid man was always one to get back at her for the jokes she played.

"You're lovely when you blush." He murmured, one hand framing the side of her face as his thumb rubbed the apple of her smooth and pallid cheek.

"You're so sappy." She protested, trying her best to sound affronted, but failed anyway as she gave into his gentle strokes and practically purred when he began peppering her face with delicate kisses.

Four white paws appeared in their line of vision and Mirage came up to them, tongue lolling and panting from all the exercise she just did. The couple smiled at the hyper canine who surrendered to her fatigue and padded up to C.C., squeezing her furry and lithe body between her owner's legs. C.C. giggled in response to this, gladly accepting the warm of another live body, letting Mirage rest her head on C.C.'s jean-clad thigh as she stroked her dog's fur soothingly.

Lelouch watched the interaction with mild amusement. C.C. cooed at her lovely pet and he gave into temptation himself to scratch Mirage in her favorite spot behind the ears.

When Mirage was lulled to a light sleep, Lelouch reached into one of his jackets pockets and fished out the trinket he'd kept in there for this specific occasion. He hadn't planned on bringing C.C. here in this very place, but he _wanted_ to give this to her on Thanksgiving. She was still busy stroking the dog's fur, however, and to get her attention, he grinned and nipped her earlobe.

She looked annoyed when he did that, but the expression on her lovely face melted away at the sight of what he had nestled in his palm.

Shimmering white gold and tiny onyxes embedded around the circumference of the elegant ring nestled in blue velvet winked up at her. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, but the meaning behind it eluded her. Was he actually _proposing_ to her, or was it… something else? She didn't want to say a word and make assumptions that could be wrong, so it was with sealed lips that she stared at ring, waiting expectantly for her lover to speak and clarify himself.

"It's not an engagement ring yet." He spoke slowly and quietly, lifting the precious metal from its confines. "But it's a promise."

With bated breath and gradually misting eyes, she wordlessly let him slide the ring into her ring finger, only then noticing the matching piece of jewelry in his own hand — a matching golden band dotted with teeny tiny emeralds. How did he even _find_ the time to buy it, let alone slip away from her long enough to hide it if this was supposed to be a surprise?

She had _so many questions_ , but she feared that asking one could ruin the delicate moment. There would be plenty of time for that later. Plus, he was probably about to launch into a speech, and she wanted to give him his moment.

And so he told her quietly and steadfastly that he vowed to prove to her that he would be a man worthy to be called her husband one day. But until then, he needed her to hold on to his promise — symbolized by their matching rings. He needed her to believe and trust in the promise that until that day would arrive, he would love her and show her that his intentions were pure, and that he wanted nothing more than to see her happy, to see her smile, to see her content and fulfilled with the life that they were both slowly and surely building together.

"I promise you, Cera. In the sight of Mirage and every living thing with us today."

Those impossibly soft lips turned up into a smile, and she lifted her hands to frame his cheeks, bringing him closer, leaning her forehead against his, noses brushing ever so slightly, eyelids only at half-mast as she gazed into his beauty and into the unending pools of purple that bore into her soul.

"You are an impossible man, and I don't understand half the time why I love you the way I do. But I wouldn't have it any other way…"

Smiling uncontrollably as he gazed at the woman he loved, he slowly leaned in and closed the distance between their lips — sharing a kiss that told him how much she adored and loved him, and told her how much he cherished and loved her too.

Together, basking and relishing in a love story that bloomed one day at a time.


End file.
